Chapter 236: Eternal Ten Thousand Years, the Treasure Refining Master

The Great Axe Founder acts with extreme decisiveness.

In the fifth year after Zhou Yang fell into that Gully Abyss, within the perilous Demon Light Cave in the Qingfeng Realm Inner Domain, the Great Axe Founder directly blocked two Universe Masters of the Bug Race Alliance.

No wasted words; a massive battle erupted instantly! Those two Bug Race Alliance Universe Masters lacked Zhou Yang's Teleportation, and before the Great Axe Founder's space-time seal they could barely resist! In the end, one of the two Universe Masters was slain by the Great Axe Founder and fell completely, while the other, having a Doppelganger, chose Self-destruction to avoid being sealed.

In a single battle, two Bug Race Faction Universe Masters fell!

Among them, one was a Fourth-tier Universe Lord from a Bug Race Affiliated Race, and the other a Universe Master-level Bug Race Empress, true elites of the Bug Race! Their falls dealt a massive blow to the Bug Race Alliance. The Great Axe Founder even declared that fights among equals were beyond his concern.

Yet if anyone relies on a higher realm to bully the weak, he does not mind killing a few more Universe Masters to showcase his methods!

In a distant Universe Boat region, a shrill wail rang from the Empress Palace soaring at ten thousand times Light speed: "Melanie completely fell? Human Race, Great Axe, damned! All damned!"

On the throne, the Bug Race Empress's once seductive face twisted continuously, her blood‑red eyes brimming with endless fury and venomous hatred!

Not only her, but the Bug Race Empresses below, each with mournful faces, also roared plaintively!

"Human Race, damned, all damned!"

"Kill, kill the Human Race, avenge Melanie!"

Across the Bug Race, Empresses are extremely few, each a core within the core of the Bug Race! Not to mention a Universe Master-level Bug Race Empress, who is truly the pillar and foundation of the Bug Race.

The fall of a Universe Master-level Bug Race Empress truly pierced the Bug Race's soft underbelly!

That Bug Race Empress and each Bug Race Empress, filled with endless resentment and howls against the Great Axe Founder who killed their kin, harbored boundless hatred! Yet they overlook that Zhou Yang, whom they recently attacked, holds a position among the Human Race far more important than any Bug Race Empress!

In the eyes of all Human Race High-Level Strong, Zhou Yang is likely to break through to become the Universe Strongest, his importance already comparable to the Chaos City Lord!

Especially for the Great Axe Founder, he was once guided by Yuanzu; when Yuanzu was suppressed, Yuanzu hoped he would lead the good Human Race, and he has taken that as his duty.

Now, a genius Universe Master within the race who could break through to the Universe Strongest has been shamelessly targeted, assassinated by the Bug Race, even cast into the Wanku Gorge Gully Abyss, which undeniably enraged him!

In his fury, he disregarded his status and struck, killing those two Bug Race Faction Universe Masters.

The killing was both venting and warning! He warned the Bug Race and any other factions bearing grudges against the Human Race that the Human Race does have a Universe Strongest; if they shamelessly target the Human Race's Universe Master, he will no longer heed his rank and will slay their strong ones, even more ruthlessly and in greater numbers! It must be said, the Great Axe Founder's warning was highly effective.

Though the Bug Race's strong ones were angry and resentful, under the Great Axe Founder's blunt threat they could only suppress that hatred for now and did not take any further extreme actions.

This minor clash between the Bug Race and the Human Race thus temporarily drew a closing line.

In the ensuing extremely long period, the Original Universe's major clans continued their endless slaughter.

Yet everyone seemed to have restored the prior tacit understanding, and scenes of Universe Masters or the Universe Strongest indiscriminately targeting budding geniuses scarcely reappeared as years slipped by silently.

Soon, ten thousand years passed.

The dazzling Lord of Reincarnation of the Original Universe Human Race, since falling into the Wanku Gorge Gully Abyss, has yielded no new news.

Some think he completely fell into that Gully Abyss, while others believe that because his Main Battle Original Body fell and the Supreme Treasure was lost, his Doppelganger is hiding within Human Race Territory to regain strength.

Across the Universe Sea, countless strong ones still occasionally discuss this comet‑like rising genius strongman.

Some admire, some lament, and some secretly rejoice.

Yet all this is for now unrelated to Zhou Yang in that deepest part of a Wanku Gorge cave.

"Hoo‑hoo‑hoo~~~"

A massive opening over a hundred million kilometers in diameter constantly Swallows the Chaotic Energy throughout the entire Route, forming vast Vacuum Zones.

Zhou Yang's Black Armor‑clad Doppelganger seizes the chance, continuously advancing along this Vacuum Zone.

Pressing onward, his perception indicates he has already traversed at least Ten Thousand Light‑Years through this dark cave.

Here, the cave's Black Mist and the intensity of the Violent Wind, Violent Lightning, and flames have reached a terrifying level.

Zhou Yang calculates from the Swallowed energy that the damage to New Universe Space would be such that even a Universe Strongest exposed to those energies would be instantly torn apart and erased into Void!

He also had to expand the Swallowed Route to a Million Kilometers Diameter, barely carving a Safe Channel for his own advance.

"So it can work like this. Interesting, truly interesting; I had previously overlooked this step."

In the New Universe, Zhou Yang's true self laughed heartily at that moment.

In front of him floated a Purple Small Tower, silent and still, its body comprising three layers, each imprinted with intricate Secret Patterns. He raised his hand and waved; the three‑layer Purple Small Tower shot forward, expanding continuously as it flew.

"Boom~"

When it touched the ground, the original Purple Small Tower had become a towering Divine Tower a staggering ten million kilometers high! Layers of profound Secret Patterns swirled, an invisible aura radiated from the tower, and under perception it had reached Top-Level Treasure Level!

"I never expected that observing those Secret Pattern Stone Carvings would so greatly stimulate my Treasure Refining Art; now I can truly call myself a 'Treasure Refining Master'!"

Zhou Yang couldn't help but feel delighted.

Throughout the journey, his external movement still relied mainly on that Doppelganger.

Meanwhile, his true body focused on studying the Secret Pattern diagrams etched on the cave's stone wall.

These diagrams seemed to contain a hint of the endless mysteries of an Ancient Civilization's artifact refining before the Reincarnation Era.

To that ancient civilization it might have been a trivial nuance, but for Zhou Yang now it was a significant trigger.

Although he possesses the Treasure Refining Inheritance of the Recluse, that inheritance, while profound, still demands extensive time for him to comprehend.

Yet the nuance embedded in these cave stone carvings directly guided him into successive Illusion Realms, making him feel as if he personally witnessed the reenactment of ancient civilization's treasure‑refining scenes, a more immediate and clear stimulation.

Moreover, on these cave stone carvings, Zhou Yang realized a long‑standing misconception of his.

Crafting a Supreme Treasure, its material alone is only one aspect; the embedded Secret Patterns are even more crucial.

Previously, Zhou Yang had delved into the Chaos Secret Pattern to a profound depth, nearly integrating all essences of the Eight Major Fundamental Laws, yet no matter how he combined the essences he mastered, he could not achieve the power of a High-tier Supreme Treasure.

However, after viewing these cave stone carvings, he finally understood the reason! He had previously assumed that combining individual Secret Patterns was merely a transformed application of all law essences.

The Eight Types of Lower Fundamental Laws each contain 10,081 fundamental essences, totaling 80,648 essences.

As long as one masters all 80,648 essences and arranges them, any law or Secret Pattern can be derived.

Yet after seeing the stone carvings he realized his mistake—not exactly wrong, but overly one‑sided.

The Eight Lower Laws indeed have 80,648 basic essences, but when combining, one is not limited to those 80,648 essences; the same essence can be layered repeatedly on different parts!

For example, if he wishes to craft a Fire System Treasure, he can imprint the 10,081 essences of the Fire System Law two, three, or even more times, forming a Multiple Fire System Secret Pattern! Thus his possible Secret Pattern combinations can expand infinitely! Even the Chaos Secret Pattern he studies works similarly: a single Chaos Secret Pattern encompasses the Space‑Time Law, which can further split into the Eight Lower Laws.

Yet is mastering the Chaos Secret Pattern everything?

If one combines Dual Chaos Secret Patterns, or extracts parts from two Chaos Secret Pattern diagrams to combine, isn't that a new combination? Perhaps in the Recluse's view this is a simple matter, so his inheritance does not emphasize it.

Before this, Zhou Yang had only been refining great treasures or ordinary supreme treasures; he had not yet applied himself to such complex secret patterns, and for a moment he did not think in this direction, but instead temporarily fell into a misconception.

However, upon being slightly touched by this Gully Stone Carving, he immediately came to his senses.

This awakening, combined with his research spanning Upper Hundred Million Years in the New Universe Time Acceleration Zone, allowed him to make rapid progress in his achievements in Fusion Law and Treasure Refining Art.

Now he has not only made new progress in his research of Fusion Secret Method, but he has also successfully refined the first Top-tier Supreme Treasure! A Top-tier Supreme Treasure is an object that even many Universe Masters would covet and fight over! Before this, in the entire Original Universe, including the mountain-sitting guest, there were only four artifact refining grandmasters capable of refining Top-tier Supreme Treasures.

And now, we have to add another Zhou Yang!

"Haha, even if there are no further gains, this trip of mine is not a loss!"

Zhou Yang's mood was quite good.

However, he did not really just leave it at that.

Having gone deep into this place, not going to the Final Place to take a look would always leave him feeling unwilling.

"Whooo—"

Inside the Gully Channel, the Black Armor Zhou Yang Doppelganger continued to press forward.

In the cave, large amounts of Black Mist, Violent Wind, thunder and lightning, flames, and various kinds of chaotic, violent energy were constantly swallowed by the New Cosmic Channel, clearing a Safe Channel for him.

The Black Armor Zhou Yang Doppelganger advanced along the Safe Channel, and the way was almost unobstructed.

Soon, another nearly five thousand years passed.

And Zhou Yang had spent over fifteen thousand years in total inside the Gully Channel.

Finally, on this day, as the New Cosmic Channel continued to swallow, the black mist ahead gradually thinned, and a faint glimmer of light appeared in the haze before him. (End of Chapter)