Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent: Volume 10: Chapter 3 (365): [The Lords]

Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel. ***********************************
Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent
Volume 10: [Breaking Through with Force]
Chapter (365): [The Lords]
(3rd of Volume 10)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
***********************************

"To be able to comprehend a high-level Hunyuan bloodline and achieve a breakthrough- his talent is indeed remarkable," Luo Feng praised.

"Perhaps it's precisely because of his talent that he's so arrogant," the gaunt elder chuckled.

A golden-robed woman nearby said, "This Tianlang Ke always looks down on us, rarely interacting with us! But even if he scorns us, this time when all high-level Hunyuan lifeforms of our Dark Holy Realm gathered to pay respects to Brother Luo Feng, he alone refused to attend! That's simply too much!"

"We've sent him multiple messages trying to persuade him," the other high-level Hunyuan lifeforms grumbled discontentedly.

"No need to force him."

Luo Feng glanced around with a smile, "Everyone, no need to stand on ceremony. Please, take a seat."

Naturally, Luo Feng wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters as Tianlang Ke's attitude.

For him, his own cultivation was the fundamental.

The demeanor of a somewhat talented high-level Hunyuan lifeform was merely a minor footnote in his cultivation journey.

"Brother Luo Feng, after you."

Cheng and several others escorted Luo Feng, waiting until he took his seat before the remaining ten thousand high-level Hunyuan lifeforms seated themselves one by one.

The atmosphere relaxed as they began drinking and conversing freely.

Only the strongest among them, like Cheng, truly engaged in meaningful dialogue with Luo Feng.

"What duties do high-level Hunyuan lifeforms like yourselves typically undertake?" Luo Feng inquired.

"We handle almost everything," Cheng explained with a smile. 

"The myriad ( all kinds of) trivial affairs of the practitioner faction across infinite Hunyuan Space ultimately fall to us high-level Hunyuan lifeforms to manage."

The golden-robed woman with three violet scales on her forehead added, "Guarding holy realms, nurturing beings across countless worlds, patrol missions throughout infinite Hunyuan Space, long-term vigilance tasks, searches for rare treasures, excavation and mining operations- nearly all responsibilities are shouldered by us high-level Hunyuan lifeforms."

"We are too busy to handle many labor-intensive tasks, we even have to dispatch clones to supervise the subjugated high-level Hunyuan lifeforms," a gray-robed man chimed in.

Luo Feng nodded in understanding.

The practitioner faction had only around eighty million cultivated high-level Hunyuan lifeforms, while the number of subjugated ones exceeded fifty billion.

Even with their core essences refined, these subordinates still required strict oversight.

The practitioner faction's high-level Hunyuan lifeforms essentially served as overseers.

"The territory under our practitioner faction's governance is simply too vast," Cheng remarked. 

"Without relying on those innate Hunyuan lifeforms, we'd be completely overwhelmed."

"It's truly no easy task," Luo Feng agreed.

The seven lords stood loftily above, far removed from such mundane affairs.

Their responsibility was the overarching security of the entire practitioner faction- repelling external invasions!

The 237 world-class Hunyuan lifeforms couldn't possibly handle every minor task personally.

And practitioners who hadn't yet transcended the cage couldn't even enter the 'infinite Hunyuan Space'.

That's why the actual work fell primarily to the eighty million high-level Hunyuan lifeforms and the fifty billion subjugated Hunyuan beings.

"Our group of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms in the Dark Holy Realm receives little attention," Cheng lamented. 

"The most promising among us, Tianlang Ke, remains solitary, completely ignoring the rest of us. Our circumstances aren't easy-amd now we're left with only the most arduous, undesirable tasks."

Luo Feng listened attentively before asking, "How would you assess the overall strength of our Dark Holy Realm's high-level Hunyuan lifeforms?"

"It is difficult for us to progress through bloodline potential excavation," Cheng admitted. 

"Most of us remain at the early or middle stages of high-level Hunyuan lifeform. Very few reach the late stage."

"As for those who've achieved the 'perfection' stage of high-level Hunyuan lifeform- aside from Tianlang Ke, there are only three of us." Cheng looked at his two companions beside him.

"Brother Cheng surpasses us," the golden-robed woman said. 

"He refined a world-class Hunyuan bloodline to reach Perfection-stage, giving him hope of advancing to world-class Hunyuan lifeform Realm."

"As for us, Wu Yan and I, even after perfecting our high-level Hunyuan bloodlines, we integrated new world-class ones. But with two conflicting bloodline wills and memory pollution... our chances of reaching world-class Hunyuan lifeform are virtually nonexistent."

"Even my prospects of becoming a high-level Hunyuan lifeform are slim," Cheng shook his head. 

"Only Tianlang Ke? He comprehended the bloodline essence, reaching high-level perfection in remarkably short time."

"For those like him, perhaps one in several dozen may ascend to world-class Hunyuan."

Luo Feng nodded thoughtfully.

Among the 237 world-class Hunyuan lifeforms, he knew that nearly a hundred had cultivated and ascended from the high-level Hunyuan lifeform stage.

"By the way, how much do you know about the lords?" Luo Feng inquired.

Cheng, the golden-robed woman, and the grey-robed man exchanged hesitant glances.

The lords?

Those supreme beings weren't to be discussed lightly.

"We all serve under Lord Yuan," Cheng said carefully. 

"Lord Yuan shows considerable leniency toward subordinates. Lord Xingmang and Lord Wulan are also very tolerant of their subordinates."

"As for the other lords... each maintains their own distinct expectations."

Luo Feng understood.

Yuan, Xingmang, and Wulan, these three lords all have been known for their relatively relaxed governance.

The remaining four were undoubtedly far stricter.

"The other four lords each have unique dispositions. Among them, Lord Minghuang is the most benevolent," the golden-robed woman added before falling silent.

After residing in the Origin Land for an extended period of time, the high-level Hunyuan lifeforms naturally exchanged information amongst themselves, coming to understand the temperaments of the seven lords! Yet none dared speak ill of the lords- after all, a single utterance... would form a cause and effect bond, and the lords would inevitably become aware.

Though typically, the lords paid such matters no heed.

To these high-level Hunyuan lifeforms, the seven lords were omniscient and omnipotent, the supreme guardians of the entire practitioner faction.

Though the lords each had distinct personalities and occasional conflicts amongst themselves, such matters were far beyond the right of high-level or even world-class Hunyuan lifeforms to question.

Luo Feng listened intently.

Yuan, Xingmang, and Wulan are lenient toward their subordinates.

Lord Minghuang is also benevolent.

What of the remaining three, such as Lord Jin?

"Lord Xingmang is the only one to have achieved 'Breaking Through with Force,'" Luo Feng inquired. 

"Do you know how long it took Lord Xingmang to Break free from the cage with Force?"

"I was already a high-level Hunyuan lifeform before Lord Xingmang transcended the cage," Cheng said with a smile. 

"Thus, I know the exact timeline. Back then, he was an invincible Realm practitioner of the Fusion Path, summoned to reside on Hunyuan Island. He lived in that very cave residence atop the towering mountain."

Luo Feng nodded.

"He remained for an extraordinarily long time- twelve trillion epochs before his breakthrough. Likely the longest any Fusion Path practitioner has resided on 'Hunyuan Island' in history," Cheng stated.

"Twelve trillion epochs?" Luo Feng was also shocked when he heard this.

This is the perceived duration in the external world. If Lord Xingmang had not utilized time acceleration within his cave residence, the actual time invested might have been even more staggering.

The current cave residence's time acceleration could now be maintained permanently at a million-fold- all thanks to Lord Xingmang's own arrangements!

Before his transcendence of the cage, the acceleration capabilities had been far inferior.

"Yes."

"During his stay there, another Fusion Path practitioner emerged. At that time, a second towering mountain rose on Hunyuan Island, and a new cave residence was constructed," Cheng added.

From the sheer temporal investment, Luo Feng could clearly perceive the monumental difficulty of 'Breaking Free from the cage with Force.'

For a being yet to transcend the cage to comprehend the 'Hunyuan Realm Time-Space Dao'- it was exceedingly arduous, demanding vast stretches of time.

"Regarding Lord Xingmang's 'Breaking free from the cage with Force,' what else do you know?" Luo Feng pressed.

After all, having resided in the Origin Land for so long, they must have heard many rumors.

"It's said that even before transcending the cage, Lord Xingmang possessed a method to reincarnate into other Origin Worlds," the golden-robed woman said. 

"Though he appeared to live in Hunyuan Island's cave residence for twelve trillion epochs, the majority of that time was likely spent reincarnating across numerous Origin Worlds."

"I've also heard," the gray-robed man added, "that Lord Xingmang once applied for a 'world-class Hunyuan lifeform' subordinate- a subjugated world-class Hunyuan lifeform. This information only came to light after his breakthrough. That subordinate... was an innate world-class Hunyuan lifeform who had already surrendered. Even now, that subordinate remains highly favored by Lord Xingmang."

"It was indeed a world-class Hunyuan lifeform 'Kayatu,'"  Cheng confirmed with a nod. 

"I'm aware of this as well. Kayatu is deeply valued by Lord Xingmang!"

"Why did Lord Xingmang request a world-class Hunyuan lifeform subordinate back then?" Luo Feng asked.

The 'world-class Hunyuan lifeform subordinates' that were requested were invariably captured and subjugated beings.

Yet the cost remained exorbitant- a full five million merit points.

Even practitioners of the Fusion Path would hesitate before such an expenditure.

"It's said that he ventured into the infinite Hunyuan Space."

"Before transcending the cage, Lord Xingmang was intensely curious about the infinite Hunyuan Space. Rumor has it that he explored many peculiar and mysterious regions. Weaker subordinates lacked the capability to accompany him, hence his deliberately selected a 'world-class Hunyuan lifeform subordinate.'"

"Kayatu also specializes in space-time techniques."

As Cheng and the others spoke, Luo Feng pieced together fragments of information.

What were once closely guarded secrets had gradually emerged after Lord Xingmang's breakthrough.

From these traces, Luo Feng could infer some of the methods Lord Xingmang had employed in his path of 'Breaking Free from the cage with Force.'

"To reincarnate into Origin Worlds through his own means? To dispatch clones alongside his world-class Hunyuan lifeform subordinate 'Kayatu' for prolonged exploration and cultivation within the infinite Hunyuan Space?" Luo Feng pondered.

"And ultimately, it took him approximately twelve trillion epochs to finally achieve 'Breaking Free from the cage with Force.'"

Luo Feng's conviction solidified.

Some of the certain details were absent from the Origin Land's official records. Yet these high-level Hunyuan lifeforms, through their long residence here, had caught wind of many whispers.

After extensive conversation and shared wine, Luo Feng finally gained genuine understanding of the practitioner faction's workings.

The current operational order of the entire faction, the conflicts between practitioners and innate Hunyuan lifeforms, past wars- all became clear to him.

Even the temperaments of the seven lords grew sharper in his perception.

Eventually, Luo Feng returned to his cave residence atop Hunyuan Island's towering peak.

"If even Lord Xingmang required twelve trillion epochs to achieve 'Breaking Free from the cage with Force,' I too must cultivate sufficient patience. Haste has no place here." Now, Luo Feng's psychological preparation was far more thorough.

He steeled himself for prolonged cultivation.

"My foundation must be absolutely solid."

Luo Feng sat cross-legged in the cultivation chamber, he thought, "Among the eight hundred million types of low-level Hunyuan bloodlines- life-affirming, destruction-oriented, and those combining both- there are precisely 56,030,000 distinct low-level Hunyuan bloodlines."

"I will start from the beginning. Each of these 56,030,000 bloodlines and their corresponding corporeal materials will undergo 'rune-completion.' Every single one must be thoroughly researched."

Rather than rushing to create a 'Hunyuan-Realm Life-Death Dao,' Luo Feng first focused on studying the weakest 'low-level Hunyuan bloodlines.'

Thus began his first seclusion within the Origin Land.

___________________________________

END OF CHAPTER

Subscribe to MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel
***********************************