Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent: Volume 7: Chapter 23(295): [Elder Tianhe's Expectations]

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Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent
Volume 7: [Nine Rivers Holy Realm]
Chapter (295): [Elder Tianhe's Expectations]
(23rd of Volume 7)
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Inside the black spacecraft.

Luo Feng's thoughts shifted, and with a single intent, he erased the causal marks from the ship's surface.

Di Qing immediately noticed and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Brother Luo Feng, why did you suddenly remove the marks?"

Luo Feng smiled. "The mark was left to track our pursuer through cause and effect connections. But just now, my clone has found the pursuer and eliminated him."

"Who was following us?" Di Qing asked.

"The Wu Ya God Emperor from the Guifang," Luo Feng replied, shaking his head slightly, a trace of regret in his voice. "The moment I discovered him, I struck him down instantly."

He likely hadn't even figured out my identity yet. Unfortunately, he is a practitioner from the Origin World, I only managed to destroy one of his clones.

Luo Feng quickly estimated the spoils from the battle- roughly 12 million Hunyuan Crystals. It was significantly less than what he had gained from killing the Kumo God Emperor. After all, the Kumo God Emperor had no clones and carried all his treasures with him, making the rewards much greater.

"The Wu Ya God Emperor is known for being a difficult opponent!" Di Qing exclaimed. "You actually killed him in an instant?"

"That's right, just one move." Luo Feng smiled confidently. "Perhaps he even thought he was ambushed by some low-level Hunyuan life form."

Hearing this, Di Qing's heart trembled.

Defeating the Wu Ya God Emperor in a single strike? That was unbelievable. You know, Wu Ya God Emperor was a mid-stage God Emperor, possessing a deeper understanding of the Dao than even Di Qing himself.

Yet Luo Feng had disposed of him so easily.

At this moment, Di Qing finally grasped the vast disparity in strength between himself and Luo Feng.

"One strike was the best way to eliminate him while keeping my presence hidden," Luo Feng said with a serious expression. "The more we can conceal before facing Elder Tianhe, the greater our advantage."

Elder Tianhe had spent an extensive amount of time at this level, his strength is immeasurable. Although Luo Feng was confident in his abilities, he dared not underestimate such a formidable opponent.

An enemy of unknown depths.

"We know quite a bit about Elder Tianhe, but he knows very little about you," Di Qing analyzed. "From an intelligence standpoint, Brother Luo Feng, you hold a clear advantage."

Luo Feng nodded in agreement. They continued discussing their strategy for a while until a blood-colored phantom silently returned to the flying ship, merging into Luo Feng's body. It turned out that he had diverted half of his energy reserves to eliminate the pursuer.

"We can speed up now," Luo Feng instructed.

"With the pursuers taken care of, we can hunt without concern. As for Elder Tianhe, we'll handle him once we return."

"Understood." Di Qing controlled the black flying ship, and its speed surged instantly.

Meanwhile, in Yulan City...

A pure white bird floated in the sky. This was no ordinary creature but a flying treasure forged from the corpse of a low-level Hunyuan lifeform- the "Soul Feather White Bird". It was also Elder Tianhe's preferred mode of transportation.

Inside the "Soul Feather White Bird", the interior was vast. The Wu Ya God Emperor arrived, his expression solemn. Seated within, Elder Tianhe, clad in flowing white robes, regarded him calmly.

"Wu Ya," Elder Tianhe's voice was even and composed. "What exactly happened?"

"Deputy Master," the Wu Ya God Emperor reported, "I was tracking Luo Feng and Di Qing. I had only just left the city, and given the circumstances, the surroundings should have been relatively safe..."

The Wu Ya God Emperor's face was filled with disbelief. "Who would have thought I'd be ambushed by low-level Hunyuan life forms?"

"I couldn't even withstand a single strike," he continued, still struggling to comprehend what had happened. "It felt like a low-level Hunyuan life form that had reached the perfection God Emperor level."

"Perfection God Emperor level?" Elder Tianhe furrowed his brows.

"A being of that caliber would be considered an elite among its race. How could such a powerful entity be roaming so close to Yulan City?"

The Wu Ya God Emperor nodded.

"Normally, even if I were to encounter a late-stage low-level Hunyuan life form, I'd have a good chance of escaping. If forced into a fight, I should at least be able to hold my own for a few exchanges. But this time... I didn't even get the chance. It was over in an instant. I'm absolutely certain- my opponent was a Perfection God Emperor-level Hunyuan life form."

Elder Tianhe's expression grew more serious. "Describe the battle in full detail."

"Yes." The Wu Ya God Emperor raised his hand, projecting his memory onto the air before them.

In the memory sequence, the Wu Ya God Emperor was seen piloting his flying ship. Suddenly, from the sky's depths, a massive, fur-covered claw shot out, instantly blotting out the heavens.

"This giant claw..." Elder Tianhe's eyes narrowed as he studied the image closely.

The enormous furry claw had sleek fur, and five long, razor-sharp talons that glowed with a blackish-yellow sheen. Its surface was mottled, radiating an overwhelming, almost terrifying aura. The moment the claw descended, it tore through space itself, forming a spatial cage that sealed off all escape routes.

Before the Wu Ya God Emperor could react, the claw clenched tightly. All of his defensive measures proved utterly useless. Within a heartbeat, he was annihilated.

"Although low-level Hunyuan life forms are powerful, their techniques are usually quite crude," the Wu Ya God Emperor analyzed from the side.

"But this furry claw imprisoned me with just one move. The technique is truly exquisite; I didn't even have a chance to resist. Only low-level Hunyuan life forms at the Perfection God Emperor level can unleash their talents to such a terrifying extent."

Elder Tianhe watched the footage and slowly nodded in agreement. The low-level Hunyuan life forms at the perfection God Emperor level were extremely powerful and terrifying. Every move they made was incredibly exquisite, and it was naturally effortless for them to crush mid-level God Emperor Enlighteners like the Wu Ya God Emperor with a single claw.

"It really seems like a low-level Hunyuan life form at the Perfection God Emperor level made a move," Elder Tianhe said with a frown.

"But this is just too coincidental! You went to track Luo Feng and Di Qing, and you were attacked right after leaving the city. Isn't that a bit too coincidental? Moreover, the place where you were attacked is too close to Yulan City!"

A low-level Hunyuan life form at the perfection God Emperor level, daring to infiltrate so close, just to crush a mid-level God Emperor Enlightener like you?"

The Wu Ya God Emperor found it very reasonable after hearing Elder Tianhe say this.

Low-level Hunyuan life forms at the perfection level of the God Emperor, daring to get so close to Yulan City, usually have significant plans. How could it possibly be just to kill one of his clones?

"I think there's another possibility." Elder Tianhe squinted his eyes, a glimmer of cold light flashing in them.

The Wu Ya God Emperor quickly looked at Elder Tianhe, waiting for his next words.

"It might be that one of the elders took action," Elder Tianhe said slowly.

"An elder?" The Wu Ya God Emperor was taken aback, his face showing an expression of disbelief.

"Luo Feng and Di Qing come from the Origin World and have a certain background. Luo Feng didn't give me any face, and now he's swaggering out of the city." Elder Tianhe smiled slightly, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile, "I had long suspected that he must have some backing."

The Wu Ya God Emperor nodded slightly, indicating agreement.

"On the surface, it appears that the two of them left the city, but in reality, there should be a protector secretly accompanying them," Elder Tianhe continued to analyze.

"This giant claw is very likely the means of this protector. The main materials for refining secret treasures by cultivators mostly come from the corpses of lower-level Hunyuan life forms, so although treasures resembling 'giant claws' are relatively rare, they do exist."

"There's actually an elder behind them?" The Wu Ya God Emperor was very surprised.

"Interesting." The Tianhe Elder's eyes flickered with a hint of golden light, "He would rather pay the price to ask an Elder for help than bow his head and offer me 50 million Hunyuan Crystals? It seems this Luo Feng is indeed quite arrogant."

"Deputy Master, this elder knows your identity and still dares to interfere in this matter. I'm afraid the intentions are not good!" the Wu Ya God Emperor said with concern.

Elder Tianhe let out a soft snort and said coldly, "I want to see which elder has the audacity to meddle in my affairs. So what if you're an elder? I've never been afraid!"

Having roamed the Dark Holy Realm for many epochs, the "Late-stage God Emperor Enlightenment" level is merely the lowest threshold. Elder Tianhe has experienced countless battles and killings. Coming from the Origin World, he has never feared any conflict or slaughter. His combat experience at the elder level is incredibly rich.

Elder Tianhe's eyes glinted with ruthlessness. "Even if an elder dares to interfere, I will tear a piece off them."

He suddenly called out, "Qiu Yike!"

The golden-armored figure standing beside him immediately responded with respect. "Deputy Master."

"Send four raiding teams and set up the Shadow Illusion Formation outside Yulan City's gates. The moment Luo Feng and Di Qing return, trap them. Do not let them escape."

"Yes." Qiu Yike accepted the command but hesitated for a moment before advising, "Deputy Master, for the ambush to be effective, the formation must be set up close to the city gates. However, if it's too close, they could retreat into the city, and once inside, we won't be able to pursue them under Yulan City's laws."

Elder Tianhe's expression remained calm, his confidence unwavering. "That won't be an issue. If they truly have an elder backing them, that elder would never disgrace themselves by retreating into the city. At that level, they are all proud- backing down without a fight would be a humiliation!"

"Yes," Qiu Yike affirmed.

"I will personally guard the East City Gate. If they are bold enough to leave through that gate, they are likely to return the same way."

With that, Elder Tianhe settled into a secluded cave near the East City Gate, waiting patiently. His excitement grew- killing juniors was of no interest to him, but fighting another elder, ripping them apart, that would be satisfying.

Meanwhile, far from Yulan City...

Luo Feng had momentarily put aside any concerns about Elder Tianhe.

Right now, his priority is the hunt. His resources are running low, and he needed to secure enough wealth to sustain his cultivation.

Sitting inside his black flying boat, Luo Feng focused his bionic eye of destruction, peering deep into a distant lake. A low-level Hunyuan lifeform was hidden there, masterfully blending into the water's depths-but to Luo Feng, its concealment was useless.

"Interesting."

A blood-red phantom separated from Luo Feng's body, instantly returning to the Five Show Land. Within seconds, a massive blood-colored energy field expanded across the entire lake like a giant net, completely ensnaring the hidden lifeform.

"What's happening?"

The trapped creature was an eight-armed being with dark, cold flames flickering over its body. Its triangular head, filled with menace, twisted violently as it struggled to escape the blood-red prison.

But its resistance was futile. Within moments, the phantom force infiltrated its core- its body remained intact, yet its life essence cracked apart.

Luo Feng glanced at the lifeless body, unimpressed.

"The Eight-Armed Hell Demon(Mingluo) Clan... nothing more than a early-stage God Emperor at best."

He sighed in mild disappointment.

This level of prey was too weak. Luo Feng hadn't even needed to use his secret treasures. A slight expansion of his Undying Blood Sea Body had been enough to suppress and eliminate the creature.

Luo Feng's Undying Blood Sea Body was the strongest secret technique he had developed, taking inspiration from the Blood Scales of the Star Tower and refining it with his own understanding of the Dao. After much contemplation and refinement, this technique granted him a body comparable to a low-level Hunyuan Life at the late-stage of the God Emperor Realm.

With his cultivation level and aided by certain secret treasures, Luo Feng's combat power had reached terrifying heights.

Five Days into the Hunt...

"We've been hunting for five days, yet we've only killed three low-level Hunyuan life forms at the early God Emperor stage." Luo Feng frowned.

"Brother Di Qing, we need to find stronger prey. These three combined are only worth 3 million Hunyuan Crystals- that's far too little."

Di Qing, who was standing beside him, responded, "Brother Luo Feng, this has always been our usual hunting pattern. Most of our prey are low-level Hunyuan beings at the early God Emperor stage, and we only occasionally encounter slightly stronger ones."

"That's exactly my point," Luo Feng said seriously. "Can we go deeper?"

He summoned a holographic map in midair, displaying various hunting zones.

"According to the intelligence I purchased, the current hunting area we are in is within the range of mid-stage God Emperor hunting teams."

Di Qing's brows furrowed slightly. "You mean to venture deeper?"

Luo Feng nodded. "Yes. This area here-" He pointed to a section of the map, marked as Elders' Hunting Grounds.

"The elders of Yulan City occasionally hunt here. The creatures there are naturally stronger, but not beyond our limits. We should start small and assess the danger."

Understanding the Elders' Hunting Grounds
The Elders of Yulan City typically hunt alone.

This was due to several factors:

Scarcity of Elders - At their level, few ever left the city, making it difficult to form teams.

Cloning Techniques - Many elders mastered the art of creating clones, allowing them to hunt solo without fear of true death.

Exclusive Hunting Grounds - The creatures found in Elders' Hunting Areas were far superior to those in standard zones.

Even though the Nine Rivers Holy Realm was far safer than the Dark Holy Realm, it still posed a challenge to cultivators below the Elder level.

Di Qing hesitated. "The Elders' Hunting Grounds?" He sounded a bit uneasy. "I've never tried venturing there. I have no experience in this area."

"Hunting experience is something that accumulates over time." Luo Feng gave a confident smile. "If we don't challenge ourselves, we'll never improve."

Di Qing took a deep breath. Luo Feng's words resonated with him. After a moment of silence, he clenched his fists and declared,

"Alright! If Brother Luo Feng isn't afraid, then why should I be? Let's do it!"

A surge of excitement filled his heart. Stepping into Elders' Hunting Grounds would be a rare and thrilling experience.

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END OF CHAPTER

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