Chapter 690: First Immortal Merit

"Abyssal lifeform ambush?" Li Yuan was thoughtful.

"Yes."

"Within the Immortal Heaven and Earth, the primary way we obtain Immortal Merit," King Master Dongmang said, "is by slaying the 'Otherworldly Lifeforms' that invade."

"The definition of 'Otherworldly Lifeform' is actually very broad. It is primarily judged through the 'Immortal Order's resonance.' However, over endless years, generations of cosmic powerhouses have discovered a pattern... it mainly refers to powerhouses from other Eternal Relics."

"For example, the 'Abyssal Lifeforms' from the Abyss."

"The 'Star Spirit Lifeforms' from the Nine Star Realms."

"The 'Ancient Gods' from the Ancient Heavenly Court."

"The 'Undying Battle Souls' from the Samsara Lake... the 'Corpse Demons' from the Black Demon Corpse Realm..." King Master Dongmang spoke eloquently.

He had sent his true body to roam the Immortal Heaven and Earth more than once and was very knowledgeable about these things.

Li Yuan listened. In truth, through Xiao Mu, he already possessed a great deal of intelligence—perhaps even more than King Master Dongmang.

"The many Eternal Relics occasionally intersect... like the 'Divine Guards' of the three great Immortal Divine Palaces, who sometimes appear in other Eternal Relics," King Master Dongmang sighed. "But the native lifeforms of these Eternal Relics seem to be extremely hostile toward one another."

Li Yuan couldn't help but nod.

The 16 Eternal Relics not only all had access channels within the 81 Dark Domains of the cosmic spacetime, but they could also occasionally shuttle between one another... the underlying patterns and reasons for this remained unclear.

"Li Yuan, the mutual hostility between Eternal Relics may have to do with the Eternal powerhouses behind them," Xiao Mu's voice suddenly sounded. "And outsiders like you from the universe, upon accepting the Immortal Order, are temporarily viewed as members of the Immortal Heaven and Earth."

"Therefore."

"Back when Big Brother Beihe stood at the pinnacle of the universe, he was always slightly wary of every Eternal Relic... these Eternal Relics all seem to carry their own agendas, which is why they have manifested in this vast universe."

"Agendas?" Li Yuan pondered.

The many Eternal Relics were indeed mysterious.

"Within the Immortal Heaven and Earth, among the many otherworldly lifeforms, the most common are the 'Abyssal Lifeforms'," King Master Dongmang continued. "Powerhouses from other Eternal Relics mostly only manifest occasionally... but Abyssal Lifeforms are completely different."

"Among the 'Otherworldly Lifeforms' in the Immortal Heaven and Earth, Abyssal Lifeforms account for over 99 percent."

"The Abyss breeds countless 'Abyssal Lifeforms.' They constantly invade the interior of the Immortal Heaven and Earth through various spacetime channels, engaging in mass slaughter and destruction."

"The Immortal Divine Palace has also been issuing orders to slaughter Abyssal Lifeforms."

"The Abyss and the Immortal Heaven and Earth... these two great Eternal Relics seem to be in a state of perpetual war," King Master Dongmang sighed. "Some Abyssal Overlords who have embarked on the Abyssal path even forcibly establish Abyssal Demon Caves within the Immortal Heaven and Earth... Of course, Abyssal Lifeforms call them 'Abyssal Ancestral Lands'."

"Every Abyssal Demon Cave is a lair for Abyssal Lifeforms within the Immortal Heaven and Earth... and possesses a stable spacetime channel leading to the Abyss."

"Legend has it that if one can breach an Abyssal Demon Cave, they will obtain a massive amount of Immortal Merit... It is a pity that even if many God Emperors or even Overlords join forces, it is difficult to achieve."

"Slaughter!"

"Is the main theme within the Immortal Heaven and Earth."

"It is said that some cosmic lifeforms who have embarked on the Abyssal path, if they descend into the Immortal Heaven and Earth holding an 'Abyssal Mark'... after frenzied slaughter, they can also receive gifts of treasures from the Abyss," King Master Dongmang said solemnly. "Therefore, when we walk within the Immortal Heaven and Earth, we must be most wary of Abyssal Lifeforms."

"We must remain vigilant at all times."

"Understood." Li Yuan nodded.

"Li Yuan."

"Don't think that the Immortal Heaven and Earth is absolutely righteous. The Abyss as an Eternal Relic is indeed detestable, but the Immortal Heaven and Earth... heh heh, it also has its own agenda," Xiao Mu's voice sounded at the right moment. "Actually, besides slaying otherworldly lifeforms, there is another way to obtain a large amount of Immortal Merit."

"What is it?" Li Yuan was curious.

"Contributing 'Rare Treasures' to the Immortal Divine Palace... This is generally a privilege only held by five-star Immortal Order holders. You just obtained yours and haven't studied it carefully, so you don't quite understand," Xiao Mu said. "The rare treasures here are not the treasures you understand, but supreme treasures involving the operation of the cosmic origin, or supreme treasures involving the origin mysteries of other Eternal Relics."

"For example, a Heart of the Cosmic Realm. If a Cosmic Realm is destroyed abnormally, it will reveal a Heart of the Cosmic Realm... If one can retrieve it and offer it to the Immortal Divine Palace, they will be granted a massive amount of Immortal Merit."

Li Yuan was astonished.

Destroyed Cosmic Realm?

"Or for example, the 'Abyssal Spirit Blood' of the Abyss, which can only be refined by Abyssal Overlords. Each drop is incomparably precious and involves the origin mysteries of the Abyss. Offering it to the Immortal Divine Palace also brings rewards," Xiao Mu continued.

"Like the 'Nine Heavens Chaos Stone' of the Ancient Heavenly Court."

"Or for example... the 'Black Demon Tomb Stone' of the Black Demon Corpse Realm. Even a fragment should suffice," Xiao Mu added. "Offering it also brings rewards."

"What?" Li Yuan was stunned.

Black Demon Tomb Stone? Even a fragment?

"Xiao Mu, you previously told me to keep the Black Demon Tomb Stone fragments. Was that your plan, to offer them to the Immortal Divine Palace?" Li Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"Yes."

"If you couldn't obtain the other parts, the two fragments were indeed useless... It's just that at the time, I didn't expect you to obtain a five-star Immortal Order directly. I thought I would have to wait until you reached the God King realm, which is why I didn't tell you," Xiao Mu said.

Li Yuan suddenly understood. So that was it.

"Actually."

"It's not just the Immortal Heaven and Earth that craves the rare treasures of you cosmic powerhouses... Doesn't the Abyss's 'Abyssal Sacrifice' do the same? It's just that the Abyssal Sacrifice is more evil and unscrupulous," Xiao Mu's voice said in a low tone. "Offering similar rare treasures to the Abyss can also bring rewards from the Abyss."

"And within the Ancient River Ruins, the Nine Star Realms, the Heavenly Demon Mountain... these Eternal Relics all have similar mysterious powers or organizations."

Li Yuan was shocked.

This intelligence was indeed a great secret.

So... behind these Eternal Relics, there were hidden so many latent powers. They might not be able to manifest in the cosmic spacetime, but they could not be ignored.

"Ancient River Ruins, Immortal Heaven and Earth, Abyss, Nine Star Realms, Heavenly Demon Mountain..."

"This is the reason they are ranked in the top five of the many Eternal Relics," Xiao Mu said solemnly. "According to Big Brother Beihe's speculation... the 'Eternal Realm' beings behind these five great Eternal Relics are still alive."

"Therefore, these Eternal Relic organizations are still operating and can mobilize massive power."

"As for the Eternal Realm beings behind the other 11 Eternal Relics, they are already dead," Xiao Mu sighed. "Therefore, any cosmic powerhouse who enters these 11 Eternal Relics is viewed as an intruder."

"Alive? Dead?" Li Yuan was stunned. "Eternal Realm beings can die?"

"Hahaha!"

"When Big Brother Beihe spoke of alive or dead, he didn't mean literally dead," Xiao Mu laughed. "He meant that these five great Eternal Relics are still interfering in the operation of the universe through various means... while the Eternal beings behind the other 11 Eternal Relics are no different from being dead."

Li Yuan understood.

Eternal Realm? Too mysterious. Even Supreme Beihe had not found a single trace and had never truly seen even one Eternal existence.

He could only peek at them through the appearances of some Eternal Relics... but in the end, it was only speculation.

"One must always remain wary of these Eternal Relics," Xiao Mu said. "But they are also your powerful aids... At least, when Big Brother Beihe roamed the many Eternal Relics back then, he only suffered an 'ambush' from the Abyssal Will."

"As for other Eternal Relics, as long as you don't provoke their operating rules, there is nothing unusual," Xiao Mu said.

"Ambushed by the Abyssal Will?" Li Yuan was shocked.

"Yes."

"The Abyss is the most unscrupulous and evil," Xiao Mu's voice was cold. "Other Eternal Relics, like the Immortal Heaven and Earth, only seek rare treasures involving the origin mysteries of the universe... but the Abyss devours everything. It can even absorb the souls of billions of ordinary lifeforms."

"Big Brother Beihe once said... if the Abyss continues like this, one day, it might affect the operation of the entire universe."

In an instant.

Li Yuan understood why Xiao Mu was so hostile toward the Abyss, and why Supreme Beihe had destroyed the eight great Immortal Demon Caves back then... the root of it all likely lay here.

Through his exchange with Xiao Mu, Li Yuan gained a deeper understanding of the Immortal Heaven and Earth and the many Eternal Relics.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan and King Master Dongmang continued their journey aboard the warship, conversing as they went.

Hum~

Occasionally, the warship would plunge into a spacetime wormhole and then emerge from the other end... in this vast, dark starry sky, there were countless spacetime wormholes.

"Roaming within the Immortal Heaven and Earth."

"One must utilize spacetime wormholes to cross extremely distant spacetime," King Master Dongmang explained. "Otherwise, if we relied solely on flying... it would be a thousand times slower."

Li Yuan understood.

Without void shifting, relying solely on flying... even if the warship's speed easily exceeded the speed of light, it was indeed pitifully slow.

Spacetime wormholes were similar to teleportation arrays, but they were naturally formed within the Immortal Heaven and Earth.

"Of course, there are countless spacetime wormholes, and some may lead to extremely dangerous places... Therefore, over long years, major forces have their own intelligence maps and follow familiar wormhole routes," King Master Dongmang said. "For unfamiliar spacetime wormholes, it is best to send puppets or incarnations to explore first and ensure safety before traversing them."

Time passed.

Under King Master Dongmang's guidance, Li Yuan became increasingly familiar with the Immortal Heaven and Earth... Intelligence and practical experience were, after all, different.

"That is the 'Nine Flame Mountain'."

Through the warship, King Master Dongmang pointed to nine rolling, crimson-red high mountains in the distant spacetime... The mountains were suspended in the galaxy, shrouded in countless clouds and mists, which had transformed into surging rivers of mist.

Faintly, countless cracks could be seen on the mountain bodies. Li Yuan knew, however, that if one were closer, those so-called cracks were likely canyons billions of miles wide... Such cosmic celestial bodies were unimaginably massive.

"Nine Flame Mountain gives birth to many treasures."

"At the same time, a large number of native lifeforms of the Immortal Heaven and Earth gather there," King Master Dongmang said. "These native lifeforms are similar to Star Beasts, and the weakest have the strength of the Eighth Rank threshold... To seize treasures, one must break through the obstacles of the native lifeforms. Slaying native lifeforms does not yield Immortal Merit."

"But one will not be punished by the Immortal Heaven and Earth either," King Master Dongmang laughed.

"There must be many dangerous places similar to Nine Flame Mountain, right?" Li Yuan asked.

"Yes, many," King Master Dongmang nodded. "The most dangerous aspect of these perilous places is actually not the native lifeforms, but the danger of the places themselves... Some extremely dangerous areas are rumored to be able to kill even peak God Emperors, and Overlords must be extremely careful."

Li Yuan looked into the distance.

Kill peak God Emperors?

The top-tier dangerous places in cosmic spacetime were almost no threat to peak God Emperors, at most trapping them... but within Eternal Relics, the various operating rules were completely different.

They were far more dangerous.

"If one wants to enter these dangerous places to roam, one generally forms a team," King Master Dongmang said. "After all, a single God King is usually only proficient in one or two aspects... Multiple God Kings joining forces can form a perfect combination, allowing them to respond even if they encounter danger."

Li Yuan nodded.

A two-step God King facing a three-step God King was usually a one-sided battle, and even escaping with one's life was difficult... but if two two-step God Kings joined forces, they might easily escape.

Unless.

Like himself, opening multiple Eternal Paths and being proficient in many means, then one person could equal a large group of powerhouses joining forces.

"Forming a team? What kind of strength is required?" Li Yuan asked.

"It depends on what dangerous place you are roaming," King Master Dongmang said. "For some safer dangerous places, one-step God Kings will form teams... for some dangerous ones, even God Emperor strength is required."

"Like Nine Flame Mountain."

"Generally, one invites peak God King powerhouses to form a team," King Master Dongmang said. "Without peak God King strength, one is usually a burden."

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Peak God King?

The most precious treasure carried by his two true bodies was only the 'World River.' The strength erupted by a single true body was very ordinary among peak God Kings, and in terms of strength, it was likely not even as good as Senior Brother Master Dongmang...

"However."

"I have come to the Immortal Heaven and Earth, but not to roam dangerous places," Li Yuan thought to himself. "After some time, when I enter the God King realm... any one of my true bodies will be able to erupt with super strength."

For Li Yuan right now.

Whether it was opening a new Eternal Path or taking the second step in the Myriad Spirit Path or World Path? It was still very far off.

The most direct means of increasing strength was a breakthrough in the major realm.

After traveling in the darkness for more than ten days.

Li Yuan and King Master Dongmang finally encountered their first ambush by Abyssal Lifeforms.

They were two bat-like creatures exuding a destructive aura.

They suddenly appeared in the dark starry sky and launched an ambush.

"Suppress!"

Li Yuan struck directly. With a thought, he flew out of the warship, and immediately, strands of starlight bloomed around his body. A radius of hundreds of thousands of kilometers fell into his World Domain.

"No!"

"Ang~ Escape!"

"It's a very powerful Quasi-Saint." The two Abyssal Lifeforms panicked instantly. They had thought it was just a warship driven by an ordinary Quasi-Saint.

But the moment Li Yuan struck, it was earth-shattering. In their terror, they wanted to escape.

But trapped in Li Yuan's World Domain, how could they be allowed to escape?

"Suppress." Li Yuan raised his hand, and a terrifying giant hand appeared in the World Domain, covering the sky and sun as if to shroud the entire world, suppressing them.

He attempted to capture them completely.

"Should be a Third-Rank or Fourth-Rank Quasi-Saint."

"Proficient in domains."

"Want to capture us? Dream on!" The two Abyssal Lifeforms, in despair, chose to self-destruct without hesitation.

Endless surging energy fluctuations impacted in all directions, but were easily withstood by Li Yuan's World Domain.

"They self-destructed just like that. Truly decisive." Li Yuan shook his head.

"Normal."

"Junior Brother, these Abyssal Lifeforms are all cruel and bloodthirsty. When facing life-and-death situations, they often choose to fight to the death immediately. Unless one has absolute superiority in strength, capturing them alive is almost impossible," King Master Dongmang came to Li Yuan's side and laughed. "It is only because you, Junior Brother, are proficient in domains that you could force them to self-destruct so easily."

"If it were me, I fear I would have to expend some effort."

"After all, in terms of strength, they were both close to two-step God Kings... according to the classification in the vast universe, that is close to second-rank Quasi-Saint strength."

"Second-rank Quasi-Saint?" Li Yuan nodded to himself.

The Star God cultivation system classifies Space God Kings, Path-Opening God Kings... but looking at the vast universe, there is a relatively unified classification for the strength of practitioners of various cultivation systems.

First-rank Quasi-Saint is equivalent to a one-step God King.

Second-rank Quasi-Saint is equivalent to a two-step God King.

Third-rank Quasi-Saint is equivalent to a three-step God King.

Fourth-rank Quasi-Saint is equivalent to a peak God King.

Fifth-rank Quasi-Saint is equivalent to a God King perfection.

Sixth-rank Quasi-Saint is the God Emperor threshold strength, and also what is known in the Star God cultivation system as the 'God King Invincible Level.'

"In the Eighth Dark Domain, only contemporary powerhouses manifest."

"Therefore, there are very few at the sixth-rank Quasi-Saint level... but within Eternal Relics, the true bodies of some super powerhouses from history still exist, so there are quite a few sixth-rank Quasi-Saints," King Master Dongmang sighed.

Li Yuan nodded slightly.

Like the Chaos Divine Court, there are some powerhouses in history who reached the 'God King Invincible Level,' and many have not completely fallen.

"You slew two Abyssal Lifeforms, there should be a reward of Immortal Merit," King Master Dongmang asked curiously. "How much?"

"Not much."

"Just 2000 Immortal Merit, 1000 points per Abyssal Lifeform," Li Yuan said.

Just now, the moment he forced the opponent to self-destruct, the mysterious imprint deep in his soul had already received a notification of obtaining Immortal Merit.

It was a pity.

This was too far from the treasures Li Yuan wanted to exchange for... Through the 'Immortal Order imprint' in his soul, Li Yuan could check the treasures he was qualified to exchange for at any time.

Emperor Weapon 'Heart of Great Destruction': 20 billion Immortal Merit. Refining it can form an 'Eternal Body of Great Destruction,' which can possess a trace of Eternal characteristics, with infinite wonderful uses...

Emperor Weapon 'Nest of Destiny': 20 billion Immortal Merit. After refining, it can form a 'Mother Universe of Destiny,' which can deduce the future, evolve infinite spacetime mysteries, and avoid many attacks of cause and effect and destiny...

Eternal Secret Learning 'Spacetime Sea': 30 billion Immortal Merit. Suspected to be a supreme learning left by an Eternal existence, pointing directly to Eternity. It is recommended for powerhouses of the Spacetime Path to exchange for it...

As the owner of a Five-Star Immortal Order, Li Yuan's exchange authority is extremely high.

Therefore, through the Immortal Order, he is qualified to exchange for a vast number of treasures.

Among them, the treasures in the front row are all incredibly covetable.

Every single one can be called a supreme treasure, likely no less than the Imperial Weapon "Abyss-Slayer," or perhaps even more precious... but upon seeing the Immortal Merits required to exchange for these supreme treasures, Li Yuan calmed down.

They start at tens of billions.

"How many Abyss lifeforms must I kill to gather enough?" Li Yuan thought to himself; with his current strength, it is somewhat unrealistic.

Of course, Li Yuan understands the reason.

A Five-Star Immortal Order is generally only obtained by peak God Emperors... in other words, these top-tier treasures that can be exchanged for at the Immortal Divine Hall were originally prepared for peak God Emperor powerhouses.

Only such existences have the hope of accumulating such a massive amount of Immortal Merits.

(End of chapter)