Swallowed Star 2: Land of Origin: Volume 11: Chapter 2 (387): [Disagreement]

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Swallowed Star 2: Land of Origin
Volume 11: [The Hunyuan Blade Dao]
Chapter (387): [Disagreement]
(2nd of Volume 11)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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In the council hall, the lord's were in dispute regarding how to nurture the younger generation of practitioners.

"We have already reclaimed many critical resources and raised the exchange thresholds," Lord Wu Lan couldn't help but say, "Jin, do you really think we need to cut resources further? At this rate, the resources will be far too scarce!"

"Too scarce?" Lord Jin shook his head as he sat there.

"When Yuan was weak, the entire practitioner faction didn't have a single lord. Back then, there were no good resources at all! Yuan had to study the fundamental laws of the Origin World's operation- yet he still became a lord. When I was weak, the practitioner faction only had Elder Brother Yuan as its sole lord, and the resources were also scarce. Yet, I still made my way here!"

"Look at Luo Feng!" Lord Jin continued.

"Luo Feng rose from the very bottom of a weak 'Original Universe' in his home Origin World- his resources were also practically negligible. Later, after enduring countless hardships, he reached the core of the Origin World, the 'Origin Continent. At that time, he had few resources, yet he remained impoverished! Back then, the two ancient countries also monopolized nearly all the resources on the Origin Continent."

"Even after leaving the Origin World and arriving at the Nine Rivers 5 Realm, Luo Feng was still poor- so poor he couldn't even afford Hunyuan bloodline, and could only buy some fragment materials of low-level Hunyuan lifeforms." Lord Jin pressed, "What does this tell us?"

"It tells us that scarcity of resources forces greater potential to emerge," Lord Jin said.

"When resources are abundant, these juniors don't value them."

Luo Feng smiled and nodded.

"Brother Jin knows me quite well. I agree with him! Young practitioners must get used to the 'poverty cultivation method.' If they can still reach the Ultimate God King Realm despite scarce resources, then they're worthy of being nurtured."

"Under harsh conditions, reaching the Ultimate God King Realm or the Semi-Hunyuan stage is far harder than it is now. But those who succeed under such circumstances- once given access to top-tier resources- might just break free from the cage." Luo Feng added.

He himself had squeezed every ounce of potential from the scarce resources he would had.

"Luo Feng's cultivation path also proves another point," Yuan said.

"After reaching the God Emperor stage, he had to forge his own path in complete darkness, without any inherited guidance."

"The legacies we left behind have, in fact, proven harmful!" Lord Wu Lan agreed.

The stronger the existence, the greater the influence of their legacy- making it far harder for successors to carve their own paths.

"I propose we ban all legacies that claim to 'break free from the cage,'" Yuan said. "Let the younger generation find their own way."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

One by one, the lords nodded.

They had all taken detours, and every past experience proved one thing: to become a lord, one must forge their own path!

"As for resources? For this era, we'll follow Luo Feng's example," Yuan said with a smile.

"Let the juniors grow in scarcity. Only when they prove themselves truly exceptional will they receive corresponding resources."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

One by one, they voted.

According to tradition, the nurturing methods of a new era would largely follow the breakthrough experiences of the newest lord.

"Brother Luo Feng also rose from an Origin World," Lord Mo Man mused.

"So far, all eight lords have emerged from Origin Worlds. This suggests that while the countless worlds we've created have larger populations, their innate potential is flawed."

"The worlds we create are fundamentally different from Origin Worlds," Yuan said.

As one who grasped the operational laws of the Hunyuan, he had long sought to create an Origin World- yet he had never succeeded.

"From now on, resources should favor Origin Worlds," Lord Wu Lan said.

"After all, only Origin Worlds can nurture new lords."

"I believe our practitioner domain should eradicate the existence of 'calamity-type practitioners,'" Luo Feng stated.

"A practitioner who treats all life in an Origin World as mere fuel might achieve greatness- but at the cost of extinguishing the hopes of every other being in that world."

He could understand grudges, love and hate, and the survival of the fittest.

But those who were calamities incarnate- slaughtering entire worlds, reaping lives cycle after cycle- such practitioners should not exist.

"Brother Luo Feng, I am a calamity-type practitioner," Lord Jin said, staring at him.

"So am I," Nai Gu added, looking at Luo Feng.

Lord Jin continued, "I was born as a Destruction Demon. Under the influence of my Origin World, annihilating all life was my destiny. Only by drowning in destruction and mastering it did I finally become a lord."

"For my path, all living beings are nothing but fuel," Lord Nai Gu said indifferently.

"Even now, I still need the corpses of Hunyuan Ancestors as my resources."

"Every path has a meaning of existence!" Lord Jin said firmly.

"Calamity-type practitioners have their own meaning of existence."

"Pure destruction can not birth life," Luo Feng countered. "Even you... have comprehended fragments of life's mysteries."

Lord Jin's mastery of the Hunyuan Dao of Destruction contained a sliver of life- otherwise, he could not have taken physical form.

"I had to drown in destruction before I could transcend and control it," Lord Jin said.

"Every practitioner walks a different path. No path should be restricted- any one of them could nurture a lord."

Lord Ming Huang's voice turned icy.

"A path drenched in sin, one that annihilates countless lives, should not exist!"

"What is sin?" Lord Nai Gu retorted.

"In this boundless Hunyuan Space, there is only strength and weakness. 'Sin' is merely your personal judgement. Ming Huang, you are too narrow-minded!"

"We are all living beings," Luo Feng said.

"We should have compassion for the weak- we all rose from weakness ourselves."

"The weak perish by the law of nature. That is fate," Lord Nai Gu said calmly.

Yuan watched the scene with a headache.

In the past, conflicts among the lords had existed.

Lord Jin, Lord Nai Gu, and Lord Mo Man formed one faction- though Lord Mo Man wasn't as extreme as Lord Jin and Lord Nai Gu, he still favored the "survival of the fittest" approach.

Lord Ming Huang, with his innate benevolence, had Lord Wu Lan's support, forming another faction.

Yuan embraced all paths, while Lord Xing Mang remained an observer, never joining disputes.

"It seems Ming Huang and Luo Feng share similar stances. The infighting will only grow fiercer now," Yuan thought helplessly.

Previously, Lord Ming Huang- the most vocal opposition- had been somewhat isolated.

But with Luo Feng, who had broken through with sheer force, joining his side, the two factions were now evenly matched.

"Pity the weak? The Innate Hunyuan Lifeform Faction certainly doesn't pity the weak," Lord Jin retorted.

"Luo Feng, you cultivate the Hunyuan Dao of Life and Death- you should understand that the weak are destined to perish."

"Jin! Destruction exists to protect life!" Luo Feng met his gaze.

Both had profound insights into life and destruction, yet their perspectives were fundamentally opposed.

"Harsh environments forge stronger individuals," Lord Mo Man interjected.

"Brother Luo Feng, even you faced calamitous threats during your rise! In your early days, you battled the Golden Horned Beast. Later, you confronted the Realm Beasts. Calamity-type practitioners serve as powerful motivators for others."

"The calamity-type practitioners we should oppose are those who annihilate entire Origin Worlds," Luo Feng argued.

"Against such beings, the weak have no chance to resist!"

"Okay." Yuan finally spoke. 

"Let's stick to the old rules."

"First, any lord with strong convictions may implement their vision within their own 'Absolute Territory.' Elsewhere in the vast area of practitioners' domain, the free-range approach will be followed."

"Second, if persuasion fails, let strength decide. If any one of you can defeat the combined strength of the other lords, your word becomes law. Until then, tolerate your differences."

The moment Yuan finished, silence fell among the lords.

Defeating all other lords single-handedly?

Not a single being in the infinite Hunyuan Space could accomplish such a feat.

"No choice," Luo Feng sighed inwardly.

Disagreements among the lords were inevitable. Compromise was the only path.

In his weaker days, Luo Feng had believed that becoming a lord would grant him absolute authority to shape the rules.

Now, as a lord, he realized his influence still had limits.

Forget the opposing faction- even within their own ranks, decisions required the consensus of all eight lords.

"Next order of business," Yuan swiftly moved on. 

"As per tradition, the birth of a new lord requires a grand celebration."

The rise of a lord is quite special event.

Unlike the Innate Hunyuan Lifeform Faction- where the emergence of multiple Hunyuan Ancestors required no celebration- only the birth of an "immortal, unperishable existence" deserving of a seat in the Eternal Land merited true celebration.

Every lord is a figure of immense significance in the infinite Hunyuan Space, automatically earning a place in the Eternal Land.

A celebration is thus obligatory.

"Let's reclaim our territories first," Luo Feng suggested. 

"Of the 3,600 world clusters in our domain, many remain occupied. Once our lands are restored, we can hold the celebration."

"Agreed. We'll proceed as you advise," Yuan nodded. 

"Our immediate priority is strategizing the reclamation."

The eight lords began their deliberations.

Internally, they had their divisions.

Externally, however, they stood united.

Even Lord Jin and Lord Nai Gu, despite their temperaments, recognized the indispensable support the practitioner faction provided.

Soon, a comprehensive reclamation plan was drafted, with each lord assigned specific tasks.

The Origin Land, Tianyue Sea Cave Mansion...

Outside the cave, a sea of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms buzzed with excitement.

They chattered eagerly among themselves, awaiting an audience with Lord Luo Feng.

"The last time we saw the lord, he was merely a Semi-Hunyuan lifeform. Now, in less than two thousand epochs, he has reached the pinnacle- even ending the war," the thin elder Cheng murmured reverently.

Beside him, a group of companions- all high-level Hunyuan lifeforms from the Dark World Cluster- nodded fervently.

Once an obscure corner of the cosmos, the Dark World Cluster was now Lord Luo Feng's birthplace- his "Absolute Territory"!

"With the Dark World Cluster as the lord's Absolute Territory, its prosperity will multiply a hundredfold!"

"We, his fellow natives, will surely be entrusted with greater roles."

Beyond Absolute Territories, the free-range policy prevailed. With the birth of a new lord, territorial redistributions occurred. Thus, only an Absolute Territory would receive a lord's undivided attention and resources, ensuring its flourishing.

Among the more than 10 million of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms, 23 World-Class Hunyuan lifeforms also stood in wait.

Tian Lang Ke was among them.

"Brother Tian Lang, you share the lord's homeland! As the sole World-Class Hunyuan born in the Dark World Cluster, you're certain to be favored," a companion grinned. "I'd wager you'll claim one of the three Inspector positions."

The other World-Class Hunyuan lifeforms cast envious glances at Tian Lang Ke.

To share origins with a lord? Such privilege was natural.

"When the lord first arrived in the Origin Land, thousands of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms from the same world cluster paid their respects- yet Tian Lang Ke alone abstained," World-Class Hunyuan Zhu Huo observed coolly.

"Wooosh-"

An invisible ripple descended!

The 23 World-Class Hunyuan lifeforms and over 10 million of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms fell silent, overwhelmed by the sheer, crushing weight of an unfathomable presence.

A black-robed, black-haired figure materialized from the void.

Tian Lang Ke stared. This was his first time laying eyes on his lord- Luo Feng.

As a World-Class Hunyuan born within the Absolute Territory, he would henceforth serve under Lord Luo Feng for eternity.

"We pay homage to the lord!"

The 23 World-Class Hunyuan lifeforms bowed deeply.

"We pay homage to the lord!"

Over 10 Million of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms echoed in unison, their voices trembling with reverence.

Only by standing before a lord's true form could one comprehend the insurmountable gap between oneself and the Lord, which is like a natural chasm between them.

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END OF CHAPTER

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