Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent: Volume 7: Chapter (298): [Death Crisis]

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Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent
Volume 7: [Nine Rivers Holy Realm]
Chapter (298): [Death Crisis]
(26th of Volume 7)
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"A squad under my command has been completely annihilated- there wasn't a single survivor," one of the Frost watchers reported, his voice heavy with anger and resentment.

"We already reported the ambush in the Serene Valley a while ago. Surely, by now, one of our leaders has gone to hunt down those murderers in Serene Valley," another Frostwatcher Yan Chang responded.

For the Low-level Hunyuan life forms, their numbers are vast, making them indifferent to occasional attacks on their outskirts.

After all, the outer regions are boundless, and tracking down practitioners in such terrain is nearly impossible.

However, this time, the attack had occurred deep within their territory, prompting a swift and organized response from the low-level Hunyuan forces to track and eliminate the attackers.

"These practitioners are few in number and not particularly strong. If it weren't for the protection of their cities, we would have wiped them out long ago," the Frost watchers grumbled, their faces filled with dissatisfaction.

Despite their overwhelming numerical and individual superiority, low-level Hunyuan life forms struggled against practitioners due to the latter's fortified cities.

These strongholds not only provided practitioners with a secure place to train but also gave them opportunities to launch surprise attacks against Hunyuan life forms, harvesting them as resources to enhance their own cultivation.

"When will we finally able to conquer another city? Only then can we truly enjoy these practitioners," a Frosts soul Watcher muttered with longing.

"Exactly. I heard that when we took Bo Yang City last time, our kin feasted well. There were hundreds of millions of practitioners inside- such an opportunity doesn't come often," another Frost Soul Watcher added.

"Unfortunately, breaking through a city is no easy feat."

The five major cities of Wushi in the Jiuhou Holy Realm are not ordinary settlements- they require significant "merit" to be built.

These cities are valuable assets exchanged for merit and are jointly overseen by palace masters and elders, ensuring formidable defenses.

Even though low-level Hunyuan life forms possessed great strength, direct attacks rarely succeeded. Conquering a city requires coordination both inside and out. Each time a city fell, it spelled catastrophe for practitioners.

The Yuan and other strong men established the "Nine Rivers Holy Realm" to challenge and temper younger practitioners.

The rules of the nine rivers Holy realm are already skewed in favor of the practitioners, granting them significant advantages. If a city still fell despite these benefits, it could only mean the practitioners are too weak to defend it.

As the Nine-Headed Frost Soul Watcher rode the winds, swiftly patrolling the surrounding regions, a sudden message arrived:

"Chief Huangti, a 'Late-stage Blood Demon Elysi' and fifteen 'Mid-stage Frost Soul Watchers' have been slain in your domain. It is suspected that an elder has infiltrated the area and begun hunting."

"Understood."

A terrifying bolt of lightning erupted from the vast river, and the figure, bathed in thunder, instantly set off on patrol. The elders' hunting grounds were now dangerously close to the Nine Rivers.

"How dare they hunt in my territory?" The thunder-cloaked figure traversed the void at astonishing speed.

The Low-level Hunyuan life forms around Yulan City are incredibly diverse. Among them, the "Hunyuan Huangti" tribe is relatively small in number but boasted formidable individual strength.

In the vicinity of Yulan City, only one member of the Hunyuan Huangti tribe has reached the pinnacle of God Emperor level, making him the tribe's undisputed leader.

Perfection God Emperor-level Hunyuan life forms are extremely rare.

A populous race like the Frost Soul Watchers might have multiple God Emperors stationed near Yulan City, but for most species, having even one Perfection God Emperor is uncommon. Some races didn't have any at all.

The so-called "Elders' Hunting Zones" refer to the Serene Valleys of low-level Hunyuan life forms, areas divided into various territories governed by different leaders.

This poses the greatest danger to Elders during their hunts- after all, these intelligent beings wouldn't simply allow themselves to be slaughtered. Within the Serene Valleys, killing even one could trigger relentless pursuit.

Inside the Black Spacecraft

"We took down fifteen mid-stage Frost Soul Watchers- none escaped," Di Qing said excitedly.

"In terms of value, this squad of Frost Soul Watchers is actually worth slightly more than the previous Blood Demon Elysi."

Luo Feng nodded.

A late-stage God Emperor-level Blood Demon Elysi is highly valuable due to its toxic poisons, with its corpse fetching around 150 million Hunyuan Crystals.

Additionally, its military merit contribution is worth another 10 million merits, bringing the total value to 160 million Hunyuan Crystals.

Meanwhile, the fifteen Frost Soul Watchers, including their merit points, should be worth around 190 million Hunyuan Crystals.

"We're almost ready to head back," Luo Feng said.

"My original goal was to take down two late-stage God Emperors before returning, and now I've nearly reached that target."

"We should indeed proceed with more caution," Di Qing agreed.

"The Elders' Hunting Zone is deep in enemy territory, where powerful beings are everywhere."

Along their journey, they had already encountered formidable prey twice- once a late-stage God Emperor Blood Demon Elysi, and another time a Frost Soul Watcher squad.

This was clear proof that the core regions of serene valleys harbored vast numbers of powerful low-level Hunyuan Ancestors.

"Ha."

With their decision made, Di Qing skillfully piloted the black flying boat, cautiously beginning their return journey toward Yulan City.

Luo Feng gazed at the surroundings, deep in thought. "With my current strength, it is still too risky to hunt in the Elders' Hunting Zone."

Elders occasionally dared to venture here, but that was because they usually operated through clones rather than their true bodies.

Furthermore, they wouldn't carry exceptionally valuable treasures like the 'Immortal Heart' or the 'Palm Realm.'

Even if their clones are destroyed in battle, the loss is acceptable.

But since Luo Feng is carrying these two precious items, he had to be even more cautious.

"When will my strength advance enough for me to hunt in the core regions more frequently?" Luo Feng pondered.

If his Great Dao of Life and Death could progress further, reaching the mid-stage God Emperor realm, he would gain an overwhelming advantage.

As a fusion Great Dao, a mid-stage God Emperor- Life and Death Dao should be on par with a Perfection-Stage God Emperor- Ordinary Daos.

At that level, his power would be comparable to that of a Palace Master, and as long as he avoids venturing into the deeper regions of the Nine Rivers, the risks would be manageable.

"However, I have been in the Yulan City for nine hundred epochs, and I have only reached the early-stage God Emperor in the Dao of Life and Death. Advancing to the mid-stage will be even more difficult- it could take a long time." Luo Feng was well aware of the challenges ahead.

His cultivation had been relatively smooth so far, unlike some practitioners who hit bottlenecks and remained stuck for countless centuries without progress.

"I should stick to what Senior Yuan and the others advised- it's best not to study the inheritances of other practitioners but to rely entirely on my own path. Only then can my foundation be truly solid."

Luo Feng had always followed this principle. He had never purchased any 'Semi-Hunyuan Inheritances' because he believed that his cultivation was like a blank slate. If he absorbed knowledge from other practitioners' inheritances, it could taint his personal path.

To truly master cultivation, one must explore and comprehend everything on their own. Only through this approach could each breakthrough will be genuinely meaningful and solid.

"Luo Feng is too strong."

As Luo Feng contemplated his cultivation progress, Di Qing was still in awe of their recent gains.

"To achieve such a harvest even in the Elders' Hunting Zone... Luo Feng should now be considered one of the stronger Elders," Di Qing thought.

"At this rate, it won't be long before he reaches the level of the three main Palace Masters."

Di Qing couldn't help but wonder- would Luo Feng's rise reshape Yulan City's entire power structure?

"No... with Brother Luo Feng's talent, he might not even care about Yulan City," he mused, a mix of admiration and uncertainty filling his heart.

In his eyes, even the three most powerful figures in Yulan City might be insignificant compared to Luo Feng's potential.

Whoosh!

As the two silently reflected, their black spacecraft sped through the void at high velocity.

Then-

Boom!

A terrifying thunderbolt exploded in the distance, and a powerful presence locked onto them.

"Huh?"

Luo Feng and Di Qing immediately snapped to full alert.

Di Qing stared at the distant thunder, his expression was in disbelief. Just sensing that aura from afar made his soul tremble- it was far stronger than the Blood Demon Elysi.

Luo Feng also felt an instinctive warning deep within his being. A powerful sense of dread sent chills through his soul.

"The Hunyuan Huangti Clan... Fire Emperor- a perfection-level God Emperor!"

Luo Feng's heart sank. Such an overwhelming presence could only belong to a Perfection God Emperor- an existence at the absolute peak.

"It must be the leader of the Hunyuan Huangti."

Since the Hunyuan Huangti Clan is a relatively small race, there is likely only one Perfection God Emperor near Yulan City- so he is naturally the undisputed leader.

In the distance, the Hunyuan Huangti stood menacingly. At first glance, its body was pitch black, but upon closer inspection, faint deep-blue hues shimmered across its massive, scale-covered frame.

Two razor-sharp, curved horns protruded from its head, crackling with thunderous energy. Its cold, glowing eyes locked onto Luo Feng and Di Qing.

Just one glance was enough to make them shudder in fear.

Di Qing clenched his fists. "Luo Feng... this is bad."

Luo Feng acted instantly.

"Hide for now. I'll find a way to escape," he said, immediately storing Di Qing and the black spacecraft into his dimension.

He had no illusions- defeating this enemy is impossible. Escape is the only option.

"A Perfection-level God Emperor... and it's from the Hunyuan Huangti Clan!" Luo Feng's mind raced.

This was, without a doubt, the greatest threat he had faced since entering the Nine Rivers Holy Realm.

Among the many low-level Hunyuan life forms, each race possessed different abilities.

The Frost Soul Watchers had a variety of skills but weren't proficient of any.

The Blood Demon Elysi excelled in stealth and poison but was mediocre in direct combat.

But the Hunyuan Huangti is different- it is an apex predator, one of the strongest species at its level.

Even the Three Palace Masters, who had successfully slain Perfection God Emperor-level foes before, might struggle against a Hunyuan Huangti.

Their previous victories had relied on superior treasures and natural counters to their enemies. Against a Huangti of the same level, they might not stand a chance.

"How dare you hunt in my domain?"

The voice echoed through the void, deep and commanding. The Hunyuan Huangti leader fixed its cold gaze on Luo Feng.

"You must be the newly appointed Elder of Yulan City. Your clone... will not leave here alive."

Then-

BOOM!!!

A devastating force erupted toward Luo Feng.

A Thunderous Attack

The surrounding void suddenly compressed, condensing into a terrifying blue thunder that shot straight toward Luo Feng.

The attack came too fast- there was no way to dodge.

"Boom!!!"

The lightning crashed into him with devastating force.

Inside Luo Feng's body, the "Immortal Heart" activated. This mystical core vastly strengthened his Undying Blood Sea Body, giving him an almost eternal resilience. Even as the overwhelming thunderstrike surged through him, shaking his very soul, his body held firm.

His head buzzed, his vision blurred for a moment- but he endured.

"As long as I can withstand its long-range attacks, I still have a chance to escape."

"Hmm?"

The Hunyuan Huangti leader in the distance narrowed its eyes, momentarily surprised that Luo Feng had survived.

Then- it moved.

Boom!

The monstrous, thunder-cloaked figure surged forward, shattering the void itself!

The sheer force of its movement caused the surrounding billions of kilometers of space to crack and disintegrate layer by layer. The fabric of reality twisted so violently that the secret patterns of the universe flickered at the very edges of existence.

Under the chaotic, collapsing sky, Luo Feng dodged with all his might-

But it was too late.

The thunderous colossus figure was already before him.

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END OF CHAPTER

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