Chapter 312

Starfall World, Imperial Capital.

A massive divine artifact vessel flew majestically into the region where the Zangyuan Academy was located.

Normally, a Void Dominator could already graduate from the Zangyuan Academy; only a very few with exceptionally high insight, seeking to create a space-rule divine technique, would remain to continue their cultivation and occasionally teach.

All students in Lin Qing's cohort were Void Dominators, belonging to the highest educational tier, so they were directly assigned to the academy's upper region for activities.

Even as outsiders, all would sign contracts upon completing their studies to become part of the Starfall Civilization, so the Zangyuan Academy naturally would not exclude or discriminate against them.

Upon arriving in the academy's upper region, according to protocol, the academy assigned a professor—a supreme powerhouse among Void Dominators—to serve as the mentor for this cohort, responsible for their instruction and cultivation.

He was also tasked with restraining and supervising these new students.

After all, these new students were all Void Dominators, so they naturally required a supreme powerhouse to manage them.

The professor assigned to Lin Qing's cohort was none other than the renowned supreme powerhouse of the Starfall Civilization, the Lord of Jueyue, who had been personally ennobled by Your Majesty as the Marquis of Jueyue.

With the Lord of Jueyue's power, merely supervising a hundred or so ordinary Void Dominators was trivial.

"It's just like graduate students and their advisor…"

Lin Qing watched the new professor lecturing with cold detachment and paid no mind; the Lord of Jueyue was merely at the peak of the Eighteen Layers of Void Abyss—utterly insignificant before him.

Even if confined within the Lord of Jueyue's surveillance range, his power was beyond the lord's ability to detect.

Not to mention stopping him.

"... I assume you are all familiar with the academy's regulations."

The bald, monk-like Lord of Jueyue gazed calmly at the cohort before him. "My requirements are simple: whatever I tell you to do, you simply obey."

"Yes."

The students immediately responded respectfully, showing little dissatisfaction—after all, most Void Dominators had no qualifications to receive guidance from the Lord of Jueyue.

"Now, go to the Thousand Courts and enter seclusion to contemplate," the Lord of Jueyue said coolly. "Don't ask questions. First, accumulate ten thousand years."

Enter seclusion for ten thousand years right away?

The students, upon hearing this, were taken aback.

Lin Qing furrowed his brow slightly.

The Emperor would soon leave the palace to inspect the capital.

He had planned to leverage the Zangyuan Academy's status within the Starfall Civilization to approach the Emperor during his inspection.

Otherwise, even if he could use the Mist Crow Secret Art to approach the Emperor within one-thousandth of a year, the Emperor, as the world's sovereign, would instantly detect his anomaly.

Enter seclusion for ten thousand years right away?

The Shanhai Realm had only been created for a few dozen thousand years.

"Looks like things won't go smoothly—I'll have to switch to a more brutal plan…" Lin Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.

Suddenly—

"Lord Jueyue."

A cheerful voice rang out as a silver-haired man flew over from afar, smiling. "Have you received the notice regarding the new research topic, Lord Jueyue?"

Many students immediately recognized the silver-haired man as another supreme powerhouse of the Starfall Civilization—the Lord Qijiao.

"You mean the exploration of the Suluo Secret Realm?" The Lord of Jueyue nodded slightly. "It won't begin for another three thousand years. What of it?"

Lord Qijiao smiled as he glanced over the cohort. "I discovered an uncharted labyrinth within the Suluo Secret Realm—it seems rich with opportunity. Why not join forces? Bring your new students along to explore. If we find anything we don't need, we can award it to the students as a reward. What do you say?"

The new students were stunned; many hadn't expected such good fortune and their eyes lit up.

The Suluo Secret Realm was a naturally formed void realm in the Eastern Extreme Seas, yielding abundant treasures and opportunities, but controlled by the Starfall Civilization, with no other civilizations daring to interfere.

And now, their own mentor intended to make this a research topic, involving these new students?

"Student rewards?"

The Lord of Jueyue frowned slightly and did not speak aloud, but transmitted a mental message: "The labyrinth in the Suluo Secret Realm is extremely dangerous. Even you and I risk death entering it. You want these new students to go in? That's sending them to their deaths."

"The labyrinth also depends on luck—not weakness guarantees death," Lord Qijiao transmitted back. "Besides, it's an opportunity for them. Don't you agree?"

"Unwise," the Lord of Jueyue transmitted. "These Void Dominators are mostly the pillars of their homeworlds. If they perish, the impact extends beyond themselves. If the academy finds out, they'll blame us."

"This is a standard research activity within the regulations—unexpected dangers are normal," Lord Qijiao transmitted. "Besides, these students are newcomers to us—we're strangers. Why care so much? Giving them an opportunity is already generous enough."

The Lord of Jueyue still frowned.

Seeing this, Lord Qijiao immediately transmitted: "I've had the Lieluo Beast investigate—the depths of that labyrinth emit the aura of the Tianlu Secret Spring."

"The Tianlu Secret Spring?" The Lord of Jueyue turned sharply toward him.

"If you obtain the Tianlu Secret Spring, your secret art could reach perfection," Lord Qijiao pressed. "If your secret art reaches perfection, it will increase your chance of passing the future Void Divine Office trial by one and a half percent. What do you say?"

"... Agreed." The Lord of Jueyue took a deep breath. "But if there is a Tianlu Secret Spring, I must take at least the portion I need."

"Deal," Lord Qijiao smiled.

Suppressing a negligible pang of guilt, the Lord of Jueyue turned to the new students and spoke coolly: "It seems your luck is good—you've encountered such fortune right away. Prepare well. I warn you: the Suluo Secret Realm holds real danger. If you're unwilling, inform me now—I'll give your spot to someone else."

Hearing this, the students' doubts faded considerably, and few were willing to withdraw.

After all, who would imagine that such a powerful civilization as the Starfall Civilization, and two supreme powers like the Lord of Jueyue and Lord Qijiao, would deceive these new students?

"The Suluo Secret Realm?" Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

With his intelligence network, he knew the Suluo Secret Realm's conditions and how many uncharted hazardous zones it contained.

Combined with the shift in order levels, it was clear these two intended to use these new students as pioneers to clear the path.

"Too bad…"

Lin Qing's gaze remained calm. "I can't wait three thousand years."

He had planned to select a high-ranking official in the Starfall Civilization, provoke a major incident, and draw the Emperor's attention.

Now, wasn't the perfect candidate right here?

"According to intelligence, Lord Qijiao's power is weaker on the main star, his will clearly inferior—he likely hasn't even reached the baseline of a Void Divine Office holder. Perfect…" Lin Qing narrowed his eyes.

The next instant, he activated his will, and an immense, invisible illusory world enveloped Lord Qijiao, undetected by all.

Though the eyes are the windows to the soul, and will-based secret arts work best when cast through them, dealing with a mere Lord Qijiao hardly warrants such trouble.

The Lord Qijiao was still secretly communicating with the Lord Jueyue, chatting cheerfully: "That's right. They are just a bunch of outsiders. Even if they truly die, they come from a weak civilization, so there will be no subsequent trouble. The Academy cannot possibly hold us accountable for some outsiders. We granting them some opportunities is already a grace. Jueyue, you are just too full of useless pity; otherwise..."

Just then, a trace of incomparably profound fear suddenly surfaced in his eyes, as if he had sensed something terrifyingly dreadful.

Immediately after, the Lord Qijiao's eyes went completely vacant, and then he fell to the ground.

His aura rapidly weakened, until it finally returned to absolute silence.

"Hmm?"

The Lord Jueyue couldn't help but be stunned; he instinctively turned his head to look, and his pupils instantly contracted. "How is this possible? He's dead?"

The surrounding Void Ruler new students were also somewhat dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene.

How could this renowned Lord Qijiao suddenly die?

Anyone could see that the Lord Qijiao's consciousness had already dissipated, his soul had collapsed and scattered, leaving only his body behind.

But... how could such a supreme expert who roamed the Void Sea fall so suddenly and inexplicably?

The Lord Jueyue also felt a surge of terror in his heart. Ignoring the enemy's whereabouts and disregarding the analysis of the Lord Qijiao's cause of death, he immediately sent a highest-level emergency distress signal to the Cangyuan Academy!

"Boom!"

In an instant, an incomparably astonishing wave of fluctuation, centered on the Lord Jueyue, instantly spread across the entire Academy and even the entire Star Fall World.

The next moment—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

One after another, terrifying auras descended. This highest-level distress signal naturally attracted the highest echelons of the Cangyuan Academy and even the Star Fall Civilization!

Every single aura belonged to a Void Divine Servant; every single avatar came from the top-tier experts of the Void Sea.

"Cangyuan Heavenly Lord!"

"Gu Jiantu!"

"Chairman Tianluo!"

"Dark Night True Lord!"

Any Void Ruler with even a shred of insight could not fail to recognize these peerless experts who had roamed the Void Sea for hundreds of millions of years!

At this moment, as these peerless experts descended, their terrifyingly dreadful auras spread wildly. Merely that dreadful pressure was enough to make many Void Rulers' legs go weak.

Lin Qing also hid within the crowd, quietly waiting for the Yuan Emperor to descend.

"Void Divine Servants? Even if an avatar descends, nothing can be discerned." He was not in the least bit anxious.

After the leading Cangyuan Heavenly Lord condensed his avatar, he observed the Lord Qijiao lying on the ground while secretly asking the Lord Jueyue beside him: "What happened? His soul has dissipated?"

"Principal, I don't know either."

The Lord Jueyue immediately transmitted his voice: "While the Lord Qijiao was still communicating with me, he suddenly fell to the ground, as if struck by a soul attack. But from start to finish, I sensed no soul attack at all. It might also be a curse-killing type of attack involving causality."

"Communicating?" The Cangyuan Heavenly Lord glanced at him and said coldly: "What were you discussing?"

"Nothing at all..."

The Lord Jueyue immediately recounted all of today's experiences, including every detail, truthfully.

The several Void Divine Servants nearby also listened carefully while simultaneously employing methods to investigate the Lord Qijiao's death.

But without exception, none could discern anything special.

Afterwards, the Yuanlan Zhen Shen of two more Void Divine Servants descended to investigate personally.

"The Lord Qijiao's sea of consciousness is intact; it doesn't really look like a soul attack."

"An attack involving causality is possible."

"A causal method that directly attacks the soul? Investigate the Lord Qijiao's recent social network."

"With such a causal method, although Your Majesty cannot stop it, surely You would not be completely unaware?"

"Then... should we report and seek instructions from Your Majesty?"

"Since it is so bizarre and the Lord Qijiao died in the Imperial Capital, we should naturally seek instructions from Your Majesty."

The several Void Divine Servants immediately nodded in agreement and promptly reported to the Yuan Emperor.

Soon—

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a terrifyingly immense pressure that spread, the boundless floating energy within the Star Fall World converged, condensing into a handsome man with silver hair and silver eyebrows, wearing a golden imperial robe.

It was none other than the Lord of the Star Fall World, the Yuan Emperor!

Although it was merely an avatar, within the Star Fall World, he was still an invincible existence.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The crowd of Void Divine Servants and Void Rulers all bowed in respect.

The Yuan Emperor looked indifferently at the Lord Qijiao's corpse, while the power of the world seeped in to investigate.

After a long while, he found that even the power of the world could discern nothing, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Enough."

The Yuan Emperor's avatar dissipated; immediately following, an even more terrifying pressure appeared, and another completely real figure manifested once more.

It was the Yuanlan Zhen Shen descending!

Lin Qing merely stood aside, not rushing to act.

He knew it was not yet the optimal moment.

The Yuan Emperor looked at the Lord Qijiao's corpse, his gaze also subtly penetrating time and space, attempting to observe the somewhat blurred past and try to trace the truth.

Although he could not yet truly rewind the past, he was only one step away from crossing the threshold of the Past Rule within the Time Rules; just one step away was enough to form the true Origin of Time and Space by combining the mystery of this branch with the Space Rules.

Therefore, merely investigating the past slightly was still within his reach.

But...

"Hmm?"

Yuan Huang frowned slightly. "Even the traced-back past cannot be seen?"

"Has Your Majesty found anything?" Zang Yuan Tianzhu, once Yuan Huang's teacher, dared to speak up and ask.

"I can only see that the consciousness was extinguished," Yuan Huang said, shaking his head slightly. "But it certainly was not a causality-based method; otherwise, even if I could not stop it by borrowing the World Source, I would still be able to sense it."

He paused, then said, "It looks somewhat like the punishment for violating the Second Universe Network contract."

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

The restrictions of the Second Universe Network contract are terrifying; once signed, a breach results in the consciousness being directly imprisoned or destroyed by the Second Universe Network.

Even Void Deity Officials, as four-star Universe Citizens, cannot evade the highest-level five-star contracts; even Transcendents are no exception. Unless one hides outside the Universe and never returns, there is no escaping the Second Universe Network's consumption of the consciousness.

"However, it is merely a possibility."

Yuan Huang spoke coldly: "The Lord of Lord Qijiao seemed to sense something before death; his eyes were filled with terror. Perhaps it was some other method."

His gaze swept across, landing on the group of new Void Dominator trainees beside him.

At that very moment, Yuan Huang's gaze met Lin Qing's eyes, which had just lifted.

Then—

"Boom!!"

A vast and terrifying illusory world instantly descended, completely enveloping his consciousness within it!

(End of this chapter)