High Martial Arts Era 399

“Not necessarily,” Gu You’s voice echoed in Li Yuan’s mind. “The Stellaluna Ancient City is renowned within the Divine Realm, but there might be similar place names in many smaller worlds and mundane realms… Perhaps it’s just a coincidence.”

“After all, there are many strong individuals on this Awakening Star Continent. Based on our gathered intelligence, the number of True Gods is not small,” she added.

“If it truly is a region within the Divine Realm, it should have a certain reputation. The database that Qiu Bing Zun and I gave you should have mentioned it. Moreover, this world’s level of technology seems very low. They don’t even have a virtual network,” Gu You conveyed via telepathy.

Li Yuan nodded slightly, agreeing with Gu You’s reasoning. He was startled when he heard the term “Stellaluna Ancient City” from that human warrior.

The Divine Realm was vast, but some top-tier forces held immense influence. One divine court after another engaged in endless warfare.

Among those divine courts, one stood out, known as the “Stellaluna Divine Court.”

Its power was immense, ranked among the top three in the Divine Realm. It was undoubtedly the oldest of them all.

While it didn’t actively compete for territory, its influence spread across the Divine Realm. This was the “Stellaluna Ancient City.”

In the Divine Realm, a vast and expansive region was often called a “Star Region.” The Stellaluna Divine Court established a Stellaluna Ancient City in nearly every Star Region.

Each Stellaluna Ancient City was a legacy that endured for eons, teeming with strong individuals. They were often incredibly low-key, even defying the might of Heaven Gods.

Powerful, ancient, and unambitious. That was the impression the Stellaluna Divine Court left on the world.

“Regardless of the differences between the Stellaluna Ancient City on the Awakening Star Continent and the one in the Divine Realm, at least you now have some understanding of this world,” Gu You conveyed via telepathy. “Therefore, you must maintain a low profile and avoid encountering any powerful figures. Otherwise, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“There’s even a risk of perishing,” Gu You warned. “In short, be incredibly cautious in a world this powerful and mysterious.”

“Yes,” Li Yuan nodded.

According to the information he gathered earlier, this world was called the “Awakening Star Continent.” It was vast and boundless, at least for now, Li Yuan didn’t know its full extent or whether the land beneath his feet was a massive planet or something else entirely.

Within the Divine Realm, there were powerful individuals capable of creating vast worlds within the stars.

The Awakening Star Continent housed countless beings, primarily humans, with the rest being beasts.

This world, like the Seven Star Civilization, categorized strength as follows: “First-Stage, Second-Stage, Third-Stage (Heavenly Flight), Fourth-Stage (Semi-God), Fifth-Stage (Void God), Sixth-Stage (True God).”

True Gods were the pinnacle of martial might on the Awakening Star Continent.

These True Gods competed and battled each other, occupying vast territories known as “God Kingdoms.” Large God Kingdoms spanned tens of millions of kilometers in diameter, while smaller ones extended millions of kilometers. Even the smallest God Kingdom had a greater land area than the Immortal Ruins Civilization and housed a massive population.

The entire Awakening Star Continent was called the “Three Thousand God Kingdoms.”

Of course, this was an approximation. Over the eons, some God Kingdoms had fallen, while others had risen. On the Awakening Star Continent, where technology was underdeveloped and communication methods rudimentary, many pieces of information remained beyond the knowledge of those few Heavenly Flight-level beings.

“Besides the God Kingdoms established by the True Gods, there seem to be ancient families and powerful sects… This Awakening Star Continent is truly a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers,” Li Yuan conveyed via telepathy. “According to the information, the entire continent is over a hundred million years old.”

This continent was ancient, chillingly so. Its power filled Li Yuan with awe.

“On this Awakening Star Continent, even becoming a Semi-God wouldn’t guarantee safety. Even with Void God-level power, I’d still have to keep a low profile,” Li Yuan pondered. “Even if I have Void God-level combat prowess, what’s the point? There are countless True Gods throughout the entire continent… Over the eons, they might even give rise to Heaven Gods.”

Heaven God! Even in the Divine Realm, they were peak-level powerhouses. The rulers of the Star Regions and the city lords of the Stellaluna Ancient Cities were only Heaven Gods.

“Three Thousand Kingdoms on the Awakening Star Continent.”

“The Abyss Kingdom I’m in now is a powerful God Kingdom, with a diameter of nearly twenty million kilometers,” Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed. “It’s divided into four hundred and eighty states.”

“Each state governs a territory with a diameter of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Every state capital is guarded by Void Gods. Just within the Abyss Kingdom alone, there are hundreds, if not thousands of deities.”

A single Abyss Kingdom had more strong individuals than the entire mundane realm Li Yuan came from. And that was just one out of the entire Awakening Star Continent.

“The unknown power that transported me to this continent. I’ll call it the ‘Eternal Hall’ for now,” Li Yuan thought, referring to the final prompt in his mission.

Only those who received the return order were eligible to go to the Eternal Hall, so he named it after that.

“Such a terrifying force could easily kill me. There’s no need to deceive me. Since the mission was given, then theoretically, I have a chance of completing it.”

“Which means… There should be a chance on the Awakening Star Continent to help me become a ‘Third-Stage Nine-Star Pulse.'” Li Yuan pondered. “Is it the so-called ‘Awakening Star Elixir’?”

The information provided by those dozen Heavenly Flight-level beings mentioned a treasure: the Awakening Star Elixir.

This was a mystical elixir on the Awakening Star Continent. Those who consumed it could awaken more life stars and even star pulses.

Hence, it was called the Awakening Star Elixir. Even the entire continent was named after it. But this elixir was incredibly precious. Ordinary Source Warriors and Heavenly Flight Warriors couldn’t obtain it, making even seeing it difficult.

“At the same time, awakening a Third-Stage Nine-Star Pulse is a Golden Robe mission.”

“And to obtain the so-called Ancestral Realm Order, according to the mission, it should be even more difficult,” Li Yuan gradually clarified his thinking. “Even if I become a Semi-God, I have no chance of taking the continent’s rare treasures by brute force.”

Pure strength wouldn’t work.

“Then there’s only one path.”

“Integration!”

“I need to disguise myself as a native and try to merge into the Awakening Star Continent. By joining a major force on the continent, I might have a chance to access some of their deeper secrets,” Li Yuan thought silently.

He was an outsider. His background couldn’t withstand scrutiny, so he had to be cautious and not reveal the secret of his Third-Stage Eight-Star Pulse.

Even on the Awakening Star Continent, Third-Stage Seven-Star Pulses were extremely rare. The dozen Heavenly Flight-level beings hadn’t seen one, only hearing rumors of their existence in distant lands.

For most Heavenly Flight-level beings, a Third-Stage Eight-Star Pulse was practically a myth.

“If I want to obtain the Awakening Star Elixir, the Abyss Demon Blood Cavern is an opportunity, at least on the surface,” Li Yuan thought silently.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan couldn’t help but look towards the deepest part of this dark canyon. The towering mountains on either side resembled monstrous beasts ready to devour.

The Abyss Demon Blood Cavern.

This was a mysterious location within the Abyss Kingdom, and a place of trials. Apart from the top talents and disciples of divine families in the Abyss Kingdom, other citizens of the kingdom could also apply to participate in the trial if they reached Heavenly Flight-level.

Additionally, if the number of participants didn’t reach a certain amount each year, they would forcibly recruit a large number of Heavenly Flight-level individuals from the kingdom. In short, every year, the Abyss Demon Blood Cavern trial would attract over 100,000 Heavenly Flight-level individuals.

If they wanted to leave alive, they had to survive twenty days and kill at least three beasts. The beast heads would serve as proof.

If they didn’t obtain three beast heads by the time the exit opened, they would die without exception. If they managed to collect enough beast heads to rank among the top 1,000, they would qualify to become a member of the kingdom’s “Black Abyss Guard.”

The Black Abyss Guard was a well-known army in the Abyss Kingdom, with abundant resources and a chance to obtain treasures like the Awakening Star Elixir.

Once someone joined, their chances of becoming a Semi-God from a Heavenly Flight-level being would greatly increase.

“With my strength, securing a spot among the top 1,000 would be a piece of cake. I could even easily take first place,” Li Yuan thought silently.

But he didn’t have that intention.

This was why he left so many beast heads for those other human warriors.

Identity!

“My background is unknown. If I perform too well, and the higher-ups in the Abyss Kingdom take notice, they will investigate me. They might even arrest or even kill me on the spot,” Li Yuan pondered. “Even if I want to join the Abyss Kingdom, there’s no need to enter the Black Abyss Guard this way.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

Li Yuan had a feeling, deep down, that the Eternal Hall directly transported him to the “Abyss Demon Blood Cavern.” It might be a test.

The first task required him to survive for ten years!

For an outsider, striving for strength while surviving for ten years on the Awakening Star Continent, where strong individuals were abundant, was a test in itself.

“This Abyss Demon Blood Cavern seems shrouded in powerful restrictions, even Gu You Jie can’t decipher them,” Li Yuan looked up at the sky. The seemingly dim void subtly concealed a great danger.

“There’s no need to take risks.”

“Just survive!”

“I’ll live through the twenty days, leave the Abyss Demon Blood Cavern first, then enter a county town and collect more information before making a decision,” Li Yuan decided, prioritizing survival.

County towns were a level lower than state capitals, generally not guarded by deities. With his strength, Li Yuan would be much safer in a county town.

“But…”

“I wonder how Xiao Bing is doing.” Li Yuan sighed, worried for Liu Bing.

“I’ll continue moving to a different location.”

“Those human warriors might have some suspicions, though they didn’t see me kill those beasts. They’ll probably have some guesses.” Li Yuan’s mind raced with thoughts. “There’s no need to run into them again.”

Of course, Li Yuan wasn’t too worried. Heavenly Flight-level warriors who could quickly kill dozens of beasts weren’t uncommon on the Awakening Star Continent.

Given Li Yuan’s personality, he wouldn’t kill them for this. It aligned with his principles. He did what he felt was right, and when he felt it wasn’t, he wouldn’t do it, even if there were minor risks.

“It’s only twenty days anyway.”

“It’ll pass quickly.”

…

In a mysterious location incredibly far from Li Yuan, this place was filled with endless ice, piercingly cold. Within the thick ice layers were narrow channels.

Occasionally, icy winds would sweep through. Just a single gust of this wind would be enough to freeze a top-level Source Warrior into ice shards.

A five-meter-long azure flying serpent, agile and sleek, its wings wrapping around its crystalline body, cautiously sensed its surroundings from a small cave.

“Senior Qiu, I still can’t sense Brother’s presence. Is he in danger?” Liu Bing’s voice was filled with worry.

“Don’t worry,” Qiu Bing Zun assured her. “This Burial Immortal Ancient Domain wants to filter and test. It wouldn’t let you two easily team up. They separated you without any trace, even the Sky Serpent Palace didn’t notice anything. This is definitely a power surpassing that of Heaven Gods.”

Surpassing Heaven Gods? Liu Bing was inwardly shocked.

“Xiao Bing, tell me again about the mission you received,” Qiu Bing Zun suddenly said.

“Trial participant, as a Heavenborn Seven-Star Pulse, you have become a preparatory Silver Robe member and triggered the requirements for a Golden Robe mission.” Liu Bing conveyed via telepathy. “First mission: Join the Stellaluna Ancient City’s ‘Sky Serpent City,’ and you’ll become a Silver Robe member.”

“Second mission: Awaken your Heavenly Flight Eight-Star Pulse and become a Semi-God. After that, you’ll become a Golden Robe member.”

“Remember, don’t reveal the information about your trial mission to other beings. At least one mission must be completed before you can obtain the ‘Return Order,’ allowing you to go to the Eternal Hall,” Liu Bing explained. “Senior Qiu, that’s all the information.”

“Haha.”

“That should be correct.”

“Sky Serpent City! The Stellaluna Ancient City’s ‘Sky Serpent City,'” Qiu Bing Zun’s voice held a hint of excitement. “I didn’t expect the clan’s legends to be true. There truly is a Stellaluna Ancient City. In the past, I always thought it was a myth… I didn’t expect it to be real. How many millennia have passed? It’s incredibly ancient.”

“Xiao Bing, I think I know where this is,” Qiu Bing Zun said.

“Senior Qiu, where?” Liu Bing was puzzled.

“This is the Divine Realm, but it’s not the Divine Realm,” Qiu Bing Zun said in a low voice.

(End of Chapter)

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