Chapter 522

Time flows like water.

Before he knew it, years had passed.

Starry Arena.

Rest Area.

Fang Xing sat on a sofa, holding a drink, facing Kun Wu.

"Oh? Has the 'Mad Wu Bird' finally turned up?"

A hint of excitement surfaced on his face.

"Yes, according to the battle report, a fourth-rank Law Lord Mad Wu Bird has appeared on our battlefield against the Alien Beast Civilization… As per convention, any battle inevitably yields spoils… its feathers, blood… are all highly valuable materials."

Kun Wu said: "I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you."

Fang Xing toasted Kun Wu.

Over these past few years, through constant combat, he'd managed to meet a few Law Lords from the Starry Civilization and infiltrated several circles.

Unfortunately, the local elites remained rather exclusive, and all his circles were of low rank.

There was no way around it—only time could slowly wear down the barriers, or bonds forged through life-or-death missions.

He glanced at his attribute panel:

【Law Comprehension: True Self (Grand Master), Illusion (Master), Space (Master), Time (Master)… Destruction (Beginner)…】

"So the Time Law has finally reached Master level? At least I've caught up with Space Law comprehension."

"My affinity for Destruction Law is average, but all Laws are fundamentally one—after reaching Law Lord, insights from one can illuminate others…"

"Plus, I bought a 'Destruction Stele,' which aids comprehension—finally, I've barely entered the threshold…"

Even a mid-neutron-star-level powerhouse like the Gray Robe Marquis had a Fire God Pillar inside the Yuanzhong Divine Temple to aid Law comprehension; the Starry Civilization had no shortage of Law Steles.

The key issue Fang Xing knew was the hidden danger of comprehending Law Steles: one could easily become trapped in the original carver's understanding and lose oneself.

Best to use them only at critical moments, and always wait a period after each comprehension.

But for him, these weren't problems.

He bought the Destruction Stele solely to enter the threshold—once the entry showed up on his attribute panel, he could slowly grind upward from there.

"But… comprehending Destruction Law is easy; fusing True Self Law with Destruction Law? That's truly difficult…"

"I hope the Mad Wu Bird's feathers won't disappoint me."

At that moment, Kun Wu was still chattering: "But the price of Mad Wu Bird feathers will be exorbitant—you'd better prepare well… Also, most powerhouses don't lack Source Fluid; they prefer barter."

"Don't worry about that."

Fang Xing smiled slightly: "The items I offer will be highly competitive."

His Source Coins and Source Fluid were, by Law Lord standards, pitifully scarce.

But that didn't matter—he could trade priceless treasures instead!

After all, Blood Origin Mountain and even the Yuanzhong Divine Temple offered him little help.

Plus, he could still act as a two-world merchant with the True Immortal Realm, amassing vast resources.

"Funny enough—back then, whether in the Immortal Realm or the Creator Universe, both were worlds generated by Illusion Law, so items could freely cross between them without vanishing… because everything was illusionary creation…"

"Now, the True Immortal Realm and the Great Xia Universe are both 'real'—yet they still interconnect... Illusion to Illusion, Reality to Reality... oddly interesting."

While pondering, Fang Xing's expression brightened: "My challenge application has been approved."

"Oh, then go prepare. Good luck."

Kun Wu watched Fang Xing's retreating figure, lost in thought, murmuring: "After this challenge, Fang Xing should rank within the top thousand, right? If he maintains that rank for ten years, he'll earn a reward… Heh, I've got a powerful friend like this now."

His own strength was mediocre, but he excelled at befriending all kinds of powerhouses—this too was an advantage!

…

Against the backdrop of the starry void.

Fang Xing saw his opponent this time: Di Meng Xifan, ranked 999th!

"Mr. Di Meng, thank you for accepting my challenge."

Fang Xing bowed politely.

Di Meng appeared as a pale young man, with golden horns on his head and a crimson mark on his forehead.

Hearing this, he merely shook his head: "Those of us in the top thousand must accept challenges periodically; selecting you was purely random. I've watched your challenge videos—you clearly possess third-rank Law Lord strength, a worthy opponent. Come."

Di Meng's weapon was a blood-red banner, clearly a priceless treasure.

To rank among the top thousand among tens of thousands of Law Lords, one must have real skill.

Whoosh!

He flicked his banner, and a sea of blood instantly materialized.

From the blood sea, a nine-headed blood serpent erupted, each head bearing a different emotion.

The nine emotional forces merged into a chaotic domain, instantly engulfing Fang Xing.

"Soul attack? Chaos Law? Emotional force too?"

Fang Xing's blood robe rippled as he carefully sensed it.

Due to Blood Origin Mountain, this soul attack had been halved in strength—the remainder couldn't shake his spirit.

"Impossible… my 'Nine Serpents Devour Soul' even affects fourth-rank Law Lords…"

A flicker of shock crossed Di Meng's face: "Your soul defense must rival the strongest among fourth-rank Law Lords." In his heart, he silently cursed his bad luck.

His greatest strength was soul attacks—yet he'd faced Fang Xing, whose soul defense was overwhelming. Instantly, he felt he'd kicked a steel plate.

"But I won't give up."

Di Meng rolled up his blood banner, and the staff transformed into a spear.

Boom!

He thrust forward—the space within ten thousand li shattered instantly, saturated with extreme chaos and discord.

"Ha… Di Meng, you're too modest."

Fang Xing pressed his palm against his blood robe, and one by one, blood-patterned golden beasts emerged.

The nine beasts roared in unison, then fused into a single Blood-Patterned Golden Beast King.

It was several times larger than the others, with nine sharp horns on its head, unleashing pressure comparable to a second-rank Law Lord.

Then it was pierced through by Di Meng's spear.

Even though Di Meng believed his soul attacks were his greatest strength, his physical attacks were equally at third-rank Law Lord level!

No Law Lord in the top thousand had obvious weaknesses!

Fang Xing slammed his palm forward—the heavens and earth seemed to topple—it was the 'Sky-Blocking Palm'!

A streak of crimson enveloped his palm, allowing him to clamp down on the spearhead.

=9+book_bar

Then, behind Di Meng, space rippled—the Blood-Patterned Golden Beast King reappeared.

It roared, and its nine blood-patterned golden horns detached, exploding outward and stabbing into Di Meng's back.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Several golden spikes dissolved instantly; others were lost in chaos, missing their target.

But one final golden spike pierced Di Meng's back, severely damaging his Law Body!

"How did your Blood-Patterned Golden Beasts break through third-rank attack power? And earlier—you'd already been destroyed…"

Blood trickled from Di Meng's lips as he suddenly understood: "Ah… Illusion Law. The one I hit was an Illusion Law simulation? The real Beast King had already teleported away, preparing for a sneak attack?"

"Correct. And I temporarily reinforced it with True Self Law, making the Beast King incredibly real and vastly stronger!"

Fang Xing explained politely.

After all, they weren't mortal enemies; their battle remained courteous.

"I see… I lost. From the moment you resisted my soul attack, I knew I had little chance…"

Di Meng shook his head and conceded gracefully: "Fang Xing, your strength earns my respect. Add me as a private contact."

"Sure."

Fang Xing smiled in reply.

Many friendships were forged this way.

Of course, more often, one earned hostility instead.

…

When he exited the battle space, Fang Xing received the Starry Arena's usual notification:

【Ding! Respected Citizen Fang Xing, you defeated Di Meng Xifan and inherited his rank. You are now ranked 999th on the Starry List!】

【You have earned the 'Defender Title.' Maintain this title, and every ten years you will receive one unit of 'Source Fluid' as a reward.】

【Note: After entering the Defender Title, you must complete a minimum number of challenge matches every ten years, or you will be deemed to have forfeited…】

…

After reading all the rules, Fang Xing nodded: "No wonder it's a peak civilization—this reward is generous."

"If I maintain it for a hundred years, that's ten units of Source Fluid—far more than my original baseline of one unit per century."

"Besides, this is just the bottom of the top thousand—rank 500, 100, top ten, top three… the rewards will skyrocket!"

"But since I'm new, I'll stay low-key—just hang around within the top thousand."

Fang Xing nodded, gazing at the Starry List.

At that moment, the ancient, boundless Starry List suddenly began to tremble.

Stars shifted, forming beautiful constellations and star maps.

Di Meng, who had been ranked 999th, suddenly flickered and became "Fang Xing"!

"Huh?"

"Look quick!"

"The Starry List has changed—this isn't just a normal rank fluctuation, it's a shift within the top thousand."

"It's 999th—Di Meng has been replaced by Fang Xing!"

"Fang Xing? That new recruit? He's really fierce…"

Kun Wu looked up at the Starry List, his expression equally stunned: "Really… he's broken into the top thousand."

In another rest hall, a boy with snowy white hair, appearing youthful yet radiating an aura that kept others at bay, watched this scene too: "Fang Xing… so strong. If I had such power, I might have saved even a few more of my people from the insect horde. I'm still… too weak."

He clenched his fists tightly and entered the combat space of the Starry Trial Ground.

"Xiao, you humiliated my brother last time—now I'll make you taste defeat yourself…"

Across from him, a giant wearing a bull-horned helmet roared.

"Enough talk—fight!"

Xiao raised his hand; in the cosmos, a monstrous bird's cry echoed, mingled with the wails of countless tormented souls…

(End of Chapter)