Chapter 216: Instant Kill! Heaven Devouring! The Sky-Reaching Path in the Deep Cosmic Space

Chapter 216: Instant Kill! Devour the Heavens! The Heavenly Vine in the Depths of the Cosmos!

Facing the threat of the barbarian giant, brimming with primal violence, Qin Feng’s gaze showed not a flicker of emotion; he did not even spare him much attention.

Instead, it was the golden-haired, blue-eyed warrior of noble bearing that held his gaze for a moment.

Just then, that golden-haired warrior also withdrew his scrutiny of the barbarian and locked his eyes onto Qin Feng.

His azure-blue eyes narrowed slightly, and after a careful examination, a flicker of doubt and uncertainty crossed his face as he probed:

“Are you… Madman Qin Feng?!”

“Mm.”

Qin Feng first nodded subconsciously, acknowledging his identity.

But then, as if recalling something, he frowned slightly, shook his head, and corrected:

“Who spread that I’m a madman? I don’t like that title.”

Hearing this, the golden-haired warrior’s facial muscles twitched involuntarily, and the wariness in his eyes deepened.

He took half a step back, creating a relatively safe distance between himself, Qin Feng, and the barbarian, and said in a deep voice:

“A man’s name casts a shadow like a tree’s. Only a name can be misnamed, never a nickname.”

“Since I’ve run into you here, I’ll pass on this opportunity.”

He stated his stance decisively, even bowing slightly to Qin Feng, adopting an extremely low posture. “I withdraw voluntarily. Please… spare me.”

His actions left the barbarian Bato utterly stunned.

However, Qin Feng’s subsequent reaction sent the golden-haired warrior’s heart plummeting into an abyss.

“Haha…”

Qin Feng let out a low, hearty laugh.

He gripped the “Star-Swallowing” spear, its tip angled toward the ground, and said, “Since you’re here, isn’t it a bit late to think of leaving now?”

“I want your points!”

“Damn it, madman!”

The golden-haired warrior’s face instantly changed at these words.

All hope abandoned him; the instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

Without hesitation, he turned, his spiritual energy core overloading, and transformed into a platinum-gold streak of light, fleeing madly back the way he came!

He knew well that if he could escape this area and break free from Qin Feng’s terrifying mental pressure, he could immediately activate subspace teleportation and get away easily.

“One minute! Just hold on for one minute!”

He screamed inwardly, “That stupid barbarian can’t even last a minute, can he?!”

Clutching that last shred of hope, he glanced back instinctively during his desperate flight.

And that glance made his soul flee in terror!

At the edge of his vision, the barbarian Bato, who moments ago had been arrogant and overbearing, now stood rigidly in place.

A dark spear had pierced through his chest, pinning his massive body firmly to the hard ice.

Blood gushed down the spear shaft, instantly frozen by the bitter cold.

Beside the corpse, Qin Feng was pulling out his spear.

Holding the still-dripping “Star-Swallowing,” beneath the knife-like polar wind and rolling black clouds, he gazed calmly at the fleeing warrior, then moved, transforming into a soul-chasing black shadow that raced forward!

“Damn—such terrifying strength! Several times stronger than the rumors!”

The golden-haired warrior was utterly terrified.

Instant kill!

That was Kuanggu Bato, a rival who could match him, and he hadn’t even lasted a single exchange before being slain!

Seeing Qin Feng’s figure rapidly enlarging in his vision, he screamed with all his might:

“Madman! Don’t kill me! I’m Nicker! Spare me, and I’ll take you to a secret resource point I know!

The resources there are too high-grade; I’ve kept them hidden, and only I have discovered them so far!”

“Oh?”

The pursuing figure suddenly halted.

Qin Feng’s spear tip stopped steadily before the golden-haired warrior Nicker’s brow, barely a finger’s width away.

A drop of warm blood fell from the spear tip, striking Nicker’s cold power armor visor with a soft “pat.”

In this world of rolling black clouds and howling snow, that soft sound was like Death’s final summons.

Feeling the bone-chilling cold at his brow, Nicker said, “That… that’s a killing technique stele! It records a high-grade seventh-level killing technique!”

But what he got was Qin Feng’s cold and decisive answer.

“Not needed.”

The moment the words fell, the spear shot out like a dragon!

Nicker felt a chill at his brow, then lost all consciousness.

Qin Feng slowly withdrew his spear, glancing at Nicker’s body, which had already dissolved into motes of light.

He already possessed the “Devouring Heaven Fist Technique,” a top-tier seventh-level killing technique personally created by a King-level powerhouse, far surpassing ordinary seventh-level techniques in quality.

Moreover, fist techniques and spear techniques share the same martial principles; he could use the “Star-Swallowing” spear to unleash the essence of the “Devouring Heaven Fist Technique.”

Common seventh-level techniques were mere chicken ribs to him.

And if the technique on that stele truly rivaled the “Devouring Heaven Fist Technique,” then comprehending it would require an immense amount of time—measured in centuries.

The reason the minor war zone set up inheritance steles was to ensure prodigies had top-tier foundational killing techniques before the competition.

Thus, during the precious thousand years of the major war zone, they could devote all their energy to seizing resources and honing combat skills.

If the grade was too low, it was useless; if too high, it would take nearly a tenth of the time to master—poor cost-effectiveness.

That was precisely why Qin Feng, upon hearing “killing technique stele,” struck without hesitation and swiftly killed Nicker.

“Two more.”

He glanced at the jade token on the back of his hand; the information stream had refreshed.

[You have successfully slain two enemies, gaining base points: 2]

[You have successfully plundered points from enemy tokens: 32 points from ‘Nicker,’ 35 points from ‘Kuanggu Bato’]

[Your current total points: 82]

[Your current overall ranking has risen to: 2,103,445,987,654]

[Your ranking in the 117th galaxy region has risen to: 19,876,543]

Qin Feng nodded slightly.

Bato and Nicker were the enemies from whom he had gained the most points since the competition began.

Although I had encountered some scattered opponents before, the points they carried were pitifully few.

In truth, the greatest credit for effortlessly annihilating these two formidable foes did not belong to my surging physical body or mental power, but rather to the *Swallowing Heaven Fist Technique*.

In terms of pure physical strength and mental power indices, Qin Feng and these two were roughly on the same level.

Yet the quality of his killing methods far surpassed theirs.

This was the root cause of the overwhelming, instant kill.

After all, even the most exquisite of ordinary seventh-level killing techniques could not compare to the first of the ninety-nine mental traces within the *Swallowing Heaven Fist Technique*—the gap was simply too vast.

Having dealt with the enemies, Qin Feng’s gaze returned to the ten-thousand-meter-thick ice layer beneath his feet.

“Hamer, help me look up the specific resource information of this satellite’s subsurface ocean. I’m about to break through the ice.”

“Yes, Master.”

Qin Feng said no more. He gripped the *Swallowing Star* long spear with both hands, the energy core within his body spinning wildly, pouring terrifying power into the spear shaft!

He thrust the spear downward with all his might!

Boom—

A deafening roar, as if it could shatter a planet, erupted from the depths of the earth!

Centered on the spear tip, the solid ice for dozens of miles around shattered and exploded layer by layer, like glass struck by billions of tons of explosives!

Countless massive ice blocks shot into the sky, breaking into a blizzard of ice shards beneath the dark purple firmament.

A bottomless, enormous pit appeared on the ice field, revealing the eternal dark ocean beneath, its black waves churning.

“Master, the query is complete.”

Hamer’s voice rang out at the perfect moment.

“According to energy spectrum and material composition analysis, all liquid oceans on this planet consist of a rare wonder—‘Lightless Water.’ Direct consumption can nourish the soul and endlessly enhance mental power.”

“Oh?”

Qin Feng was slightly taken aback.

No wonder the resource point marked by the jade token this time was far larger than any he had encountered before.

It seemed there truly was an astonishing treasure hidden here.

Not to mention the heaven-defying property of *Lightless Water* to endlessly boost mental power, even its sheer quantity was no small matter.

The entire liquid ocean of a whole satellite was composed of *Lightless Water*—the amount was so vast it defied calculation.

“In that case, I’ll seclude myself here for a while longer.”

Qin Feng made his decision.

He sat cross-legged at the edge of the ice hole he had just created, letting the dark clouds roll and the snow and ice rage above him.

Then, he activated his energy core and opened his mouth.

A terrifying suction force, as if it could devour stars, emanated from his mouth!

Boom—

The dark ocean below instantly stirred up monstrous waves!

Endless *Lightless Water* transformed into a black tornado connecting heaven and earth, drawn by that fearsome suction, pouring ceaselessly into Qin Feng’s mouth, instantly absorbed and refined by his monstrous physique.

Planetary-level experts were called “planetary” not only because they could traverse the vacuum of space with their physical bodies, but also because their destructive power could easily annihilate a planet!

If a giant planet could be destroyed by a planetary-level expert, then the ocean of a mere satellite was nothing.

Thus, Qin Feng, like a whale drinking water, madly devoured the entire ocean.

He could clearly feel his mental power rising and strengthening at an unprecedented, comfortable, and efficient pace.

—

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed like a snap of the fingers.

When the last drop of *Lightless Water* was sucked into his mouth and refined into his original mental power, the once oceanic satellite beneath his feet had become a dead, dried-up ice ball.

The entire liquid ocean of the planet had been completely consumed by him.

Even the ten-thousand-meter-thick ice layer had been forcibly melted by his planetary-level might, squeezing out the last trace of *Lightless Water* energy within.

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, awakening from a decade-long deep seclusion.

“This harvest is truly immense.”

Feeling the earth-shaking changes in his mental sea, an irrepressible joy spread across his face. “I have condensed… a full three hundred new mental goblets!”

Within his mental sea, beside the original four goblets, three hundred brand-new, equally solid and heavy goblets floated silently, forming a small “goblet forest.”

They resonated with each other, collectively bearing a far more vast sea of mental droplets, elevating both his total mental power and control precision to a whole new level.

“Now, I possess three hundred and four goblets of mental power, which translates to three million standard mental droplets. Remarkable progress.”

Qin Feng began to carefully review his advancements over the years.

A full twenty years had passed since the competition began.

In the first five years, he absorbed blood crystals, doubling his physical foundation.

In the next five years, he traveled between the stars, searching and gathering scattered resources.

Then he found this satellite ocean rich in *Lightless Water* and spent another full ten years here.

Twenty years—a mere blink in the long life of a planetary-level expert. But in this resource-rich trial ground, it was enough to cause a transformative change in one’s strength.

“As my master said, after ‘goblets’ comes ‘lakes.’ The mental power of ten thousand goblets can condense into a mental lake.”

“After lakes come ‘rivers.’ After rivers comes ‘boundless sea.’ Only then, with a boundless sea of mental power, can one shape the ‘indestructible projection’ in subspace, representing the threshold of stellar-level.”

Qin Feng’s heart was filled with myriad emotions.

This path was far too long, and the resources required were far too vast.

Simply condensing three hundred goblets had exhausted the entire *Lightless Water* ocean of a satellite. How terrifying would the resources be to condense ten thousand goblets?

“No wonder all the geniuses of the human empire fight tooth and nail for the major zones of the ‘Universal Genius Battle.’”

Where else in the universe could one find such a place that provides such massive amounts of top-tier resources for free?

…

After a brief rest, Qin Feng’s journey resumed.

He continued to teleport between one unfamiliar star system after another in the most efficient manner, frantically searching for and plundering every resource that could make him stronger.

As he delved deeper into this vast galaxy cluster, gradually approaching its core, the blinking dots on his jade token grew denser and brighter.

Battles also became more frequent.

In the blink of an eye, eighty years passed.

During these eighty years, Qin Feng plundered countless rare resources.

His reputation as a madman spread ever wider throughout the 117th galaxy region, fueled by one overwhelming, one-sided battle after another.

Above a colossal gas giant, beside its iconic, never-ceasing massive storm eye, the figure of Qin Feng hung silently amidst the raging currents of air. Not long ago, right here, he had single-handedly slain three formidable warriors in a one-against-three battle. The four of them had almost simultaneously discovered this hidden opportunity deep within the storm eye. A fierce fight ensued, and Qin Feng emerged victorious. Afterward, he destroyed the gas giant's storm eye and extracted from it a peculiar object named "Storm Core," formed from pure wind elemental energy. After spending months refining and absorbing it, his spiritual power had once again grown immensely. "The competition has been going on for a full hundred years now," Qin Feng mused, tallying his progress over the century. "In a hundred years, I've seized countless resources. Now, my spiritual power has reached the level of three thousand cups. It's not far from condensing into a 'lake.' As for the 'Devouring Heaven Fist Technique,' it remains at the 'Minor Accomplishment' stage. To break through to 'Major Accomplishment,' I need more combat and insight—can't rush it. And my points have accumulated to over 2,300, ranking quite high." He glanced at his jade token. [Name: Qin Feng] [Points: 2371] [Overall Rank: 1,054,321,789] [Galaxy Sector 117 Rank: 103,456] Progress was remarkable. "No rush," Qin Feng remained calm in his heart. "The core of the competition is still plundering resources and enhancing strength. Points are just a byproduct." He had his own deep understanding of the competition rules. "In the later stages, every surviving strong warrior will carry a massive amount of points. By then, killing one opponent will yield tens of thousands of times the points I get now. Deliberately farming points now is too inefficient. As long as my strength is sufficient, I can even reverse-engineer the rules. Deliberately lose once, enter the 'Hunting Period,' and directly obtain the coordinates of a high-ranking opponent. If I can successfully kill the number one, I'll inherit all his points and leap to the top. So, in the end, strength is king!" Qin Feng saw it clearly. In the final hundred years before the competition ends, it would still be plenty of time to compete fiercely for points. He re-entered his spacecraft, ready to check the map and plan his next destination. In fact, decades ago, he had already re-established contact with Huo Yuan and Jin Mu through the subspace network. Jin Mu had been unlucky, assigned to another galaxy. But he and Huo Yuan were fortunate, both deployed within Galaxy Sector 117. However, in the early stages of the competition, they had no intention of meeting. After all, if they acted together, once they discovered a resource point, how to divide it would itself be a problem. Often, it would halve efficiency instead. They only agreed to develop separately, and if they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, they could send each other coordinates for emergency support, trying to preserve their formal competition status and avoid the perilous "Hunting Period." But just then, in his personal terminal, the communication channel dedicated to Huo Yuan suddenly flashed wildly with the highest priority red alert! "Qin Feng! Help, quick!" Huo Yuan's urgent voice, laced with a hint of breathlessness, rang directly in Qin Feng's mind. "I've discovered a top-tier resource site! The resources there are enough for any one of us to directly condense our spiritual power into a 'lake'! But I've been spotted by a group that was already lying in ambush here! They're a team, outnumbering me, and there's a guy in the Hunting Period among them. I'm being chased right now! I've shared the specific coordinates with you!" Qin Feng's eyes instantly sharpened. Without a moment's hesitation, he opened the coordinates Huo Yuan had shared. First, because he and Huo Yuan had an agreement—it was a promise. Second, because Huo Yuan's words deeply attracted him—resources sufficient to condense spiritual power into a "lake"! When he saw the location of the shared coordinates, he couldn't help but pause. That coordinate was actually at the edge of Galaxy Sector 117, in a desolate asteroid belt. "I thought the closer to the galaxy's core, the more resources there would be. I didn't expect the edge to hide such abundant resources." He didn't have time to think further and immediately activated subspace teleportation. The spacecraft vanished into the gas giant's raging winds. ... When Qin Feng opened his eyes again, emerging from the subspace jump, the scene before him immediately locked onto his target. The deep void of space, dead and cold. In this vast, boundless asteroid belt, a life-or-death chase was unfolding fiercely. At the front, a fiery red figure was using the terrain to its utmost, weaving and dodging among countless floating asteroids, fleeing in a desperate scramble. That was Huo Yuan. His originally flashy fire-red power armor was now riddled with scars, many plates showing scorched, molten marks. Behind him, two black figures clung like shadows, relentlessly pursuing. They wore uniform black power armor emblazoned with a sinister green viper emblem, their movements ruthless and efficient, each strike a lethal blow. Along their chase trajectory, scattered wreckage of spacecraft metal floated—clearly, before Qin Feng arrived, a brutal battle had already erupted here, and Huo Yuan's ride had been destroyed. If not for the complex terrain of this asteroid belt providing ample cover and room to maneuver, he would have been torn apart long ago by those two coordinated martial artists. But just as Huo Yuan narrowly dodged another lethal psychic beam and prepared to use a massive asteroid to change direction, a familiar, steady figure appeared without warning on the path ahead. The figure wore a set of heavy, imposing black power armor, its style exuding iron-blooded strength. He floated silently in the void, holding a dark, ancient spear that seemed to devour light. A vast, restrained psychic tide rose and fell around him like breathing. "Qin Feng! You're here!" The moment he saw the newcomer, the fat face hidden beneath Huo Yuan's faceplate burst into ecstasy. The days of being chased, the frustration and despair, all turned into the thrill of survival. He immediately stopped fleeing, accelerated sharply, and steadied himself beside Qin Feng, panting heavily. "Damn, I'm exhausted," Huo Yuan said, still shaken. "These guys are all martial artists under the 'Venom War Group.' These two are chasing me; at the resource point ahead, there are three more of their comrades guarding it. The five of them got together not long after the competition started. In our Sector 117, they have a notorious nickname—'The Five Venom Rats.' They're despicable and specialize in ambushes and traps." Swoosh! Swoosh! As Huo Yuan quickly explained, the two black-armored martial artists chasing him had also arrived. They flanked Qin Feng and Huo Yuan from left and right, forming a pincer. One of them looked Qin Feng up and down, taking in his oppressive power armor and the extraordinary spear, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Qin Feng? You're that madman Qin Feng?" "It's me."

Qin Feng nodded slightly, acknowledging with calm composure.

“Heh, long have I heard of the ‘Madman’s’ renown. Seeing you today, truly your bearing is extraordinary.”

Another black-armored warrior let out a cold laugh, but his eyes grew unprecedentedly grave.

Yet, to the surprise of Qin Feng and Huo Yuan, after confirming Qin Feng’s identity, these two black-armored warriors showed no sign of retreat. Instead, they exchanged a glance, and their spiritual energy erupted violently!

They did not flee; instead, they chose to attack!

With a flick of their hands, dozens of flying daggers, gleaming with a ghostly green light and steeped in deadly poison, shot forth like a swarm of bees, tearing through the void. From two utterly different and treacherous angles, they sealed off all of Qin Feng’s escape routes, charging in with ferocity!

“Not running, but attacking me instead?”

Seeing this, Qin Feng was not alarmed but burst into hearty laughter.

“Heh, Madman Qin Feng, if this were ordinary times, upon hearing your name, my brother and I would have fled a thousand miles long ago.”

One of the warriors controlling the flying daggers joined in the wild laughter, his voice tinged with madness and resolve. “But now, it’s different! My ‘Hunting Period’ has only a few months left! Today, if I don’t kill you two, I’ll be completely eliminated!”

So that was it.

Qin Feng understood instantly.

These two were already desperadoes in the throes of the “Hunting Period.”

For them, this battle left no room for retreat.

Either kill the enemy before them and regain qualification to compete,

Or be killed by the enemy and be eliminated outright.

On the brink of life and death, no reputation held any power to intimidate.

“Devour Heaven!”

Facing the overwhelming storm of poisoned blades, Qin Feng moved.

He made no superfluous gestures, simply stepping forward and thrusting the “Star-Swallowing” spear in his hand.

It was the same move, [Devour Heaven]!

As the spear thrust forward, the space before its tip seemed to collapse instantly, forming an invisible black hole that could devour all things.

The fierce flying daggers, the moment they touched this region, were like iron filings drawn to a magnet, uncontrollably altering their trajectories, all sucked in, then crushed and shattered by that terrifying devouring force, reduced to primal energy particles.

The combined assault of the two black-armored warriors, enough to tear apart a starship, vanished without a trace, like light absorbed by a black hole, leaving not a ripple.

Then, an even more terrifying force erupted from the collapsed space!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several nearby asteroids, struck by this power like eggs hit by a sledgehammer, exploded instantly into clouds of dust!

And the two black-armored warriors—their power armor, their flesh, their spiritual energy cores—were utterly annihilated before this destructive force.

“Damn it… that fat bastard… actually called in… such a powerful ally…”

One of the warriors, in the last moment before his consciousness faded completely, mustered all his strength to let out a roar filled with unwillingness.

With their deaths, the chaotic asteroid belt finally returned to silence.

……

“My god…”

Huo Yuan, standing to the side, stared dumbfounded at the scene. After a long pause, he scratched his head awkwardly and offered a heartfelt compliment: “Qin Feng, the speed of your strength improvement is terrifying. I remember I’ve also comprehended the ninety-first spiritual trace and can use the ‘Devour Heaven Fist Technique,’ but compared to your move, it’s… simply not on the same level at all.”

“The ninety-first to the ninety-ninth traces are the true core of this technique.”

Qin Feng withdrew his spear, smiled, and explained: “You should know that just in terms of the information flow it contains, the ninety-first spiritual trace equals the sum of the previous ninety. Each subsequent trace is several times more profound than the last.”

“Mm, that’s true.”

Huo Yuan nodded in agreement. “With your strength, I’m completely at ease now.”

He pointed toward the depths of the asteroid belt, his expression turning excited: “That resource point is at the very heart of this belt. There are several ‘Heavenly Vines’ there! Those are planetary-level lifeforms! The fruits they bear can be directly refined, greatly enhancing spiritual power!”

“And three warriors from the ‘Venom Battle Group’ are guarding it.”

Huo Yuan’s face grew more serious. “But they probably can’t hold it now. According to the communications I intercepted when I escaped, warriors are pouring in toward those coordinates. After all, a scan range of a hundred light-years—neither small nor large—combined with unrestricted subspace teleportation, once the news spreads, it’ll soon attract a flood of competitors.”

“News spreads?”

Qin Feng was puzzled.

“Mm.”

A trace of anger appeared on Huo Yuan’s face. “Open your subspace network and see—is there a ‘Major War Zone Private Channel’ and a private channel for our ‘117 Galaxy’?”

Qin Feng did as told and indeed found both private channels on his personal terminal.

“Some people are just that disgusting.”

Huo Yuan said indignantly. “When they discover a top-tier resource point and feel they can’t obtain or hold it with their own strength, they simply post the coordinates directly into the private channel. If they can’t have it, they won’t let others have it easy—they muddy the waters and bring in more people to fight over it.”

“I see.”

Qin Feng understood.

Such spiteful, self-defeating behavior was common in any competitive environment.

“We must get our hands on this thing.”

Qin Feng’s gaze turned resolute. “A resource that can take us straight to the ‘Lake Realm’—if we miss this chance, who knows when the next will come?”

“Exactly!”

Huo Yuan nodded firmly. “Let’s go, I’ll lead the way!”

Without further hesitation, he changed direction and shot forward as a fiery red streak, racing deep into the asteroid belt.

Qin Feng followed closely, and soon the two vanished into the silent cosmic dust.

——

Guided by Huo Yuan, the two turned into streaks of light, weaving swiftly through the intricate asteroid belt.

The deeper they went, the larger the floating asteroids became, some even rivaling small planets.

Cosmic dust and nebular matter gathered here, forming a natural maze filled with the unknown and peril.

Soon, as they rounded a giant iron-core asteroid over a thousand kilometers in diameter, the scene before them opened up.

A relatively empty void appeared before the two.

And at the center of this void, a large number of warriors had already gathered.

Qin Feng swept his gaze and his mind tightened.

Looking around, at least a hundred planetary-level experts of various forms floated in this void.

Some clustered in small groups, forming temporary alliances; others stood alone, occupying advantageous positions, all maintaining a delicate and dangerous distance.

Countless powerful and obscure auras interwove and clashed in this space, forming an invisible web thick with tension.

And farther off in the void, ripples of subspace teleportation still sounded from time to time.

Streams of light were continuously arriving from all directions, converging on this spot.

Clearly, the news of the "Heaven-Piercing Vine" had already spread completely, and this place had become a massive storm's eye within Sector 117.

Yet what truly shook Qin Feng was not the gathering of over a hundred top-tier geniuses, but the cosmic wonder at the very center of this void, upon which all their gazes were fixed.

Three vines.

Three vines whose grandeur and magnificence defied words, as if they led directly to the edge of the universe.

They were rooted in the boundless void, seemingly drawing upon the most primal energy of the cosmos.

The main bodies of the vines bore a primitive bronze hue, their girth so immense that it surpassed any interstellar warship Qin Feng had ever seen.

They twisted and spiraled, extending infinitely into the depths of the universe, until they vanished beyond the horizon.

According to the scale markings on the jade token map, the length of each vine reached an astonishing one light-year!

Such colossal entities, suspended silently in the cosmos, delivered a primal, instinctual visual impact and spiritual shock to anyone who beheld them.

And at this moment, the surfaces of these three heaven-spanning giant vines were shimmering with a dreamlike, resplendent purple halo.

The halo pulsed like breath, rising and falling, each flicker causing ripples in the surrounding space.

This was the sign that their fruits were about to emerge.

"The Heaven-Piercing Vine..."

Fire Yuan floated beside Qin Feng, his voice filled with barely contained awe, "Though the records say it's a planet-level lifeform, its size is simply too enormous.

An ordinary planet-level martial artist couldn't even leave a decent wound on it, let alone destroy it.

Even a stellar-level powerhouse would find it hard to kill. Its mental energy fluctuations are weak, but its vitality is overwhelmingly abundant."

"How do high-level experts make use of it, then?" Qin Feng asked.

"Stellar-level experts generally don't choose to fight the Heaven-Piercing Vine head-on," Fire Yuan explained, clearly well-versed in these secrets. "They usually employ a more time-consuming and labor-intensive method called 'simmering the vine.' That means using their own powerful mental energy to assault it day after day, year after year. If they succeed in subduing it, they gain an immensely powerful ally. In battle, this freely contractible vine itself becomes a terrifying weapon capable of destroying heaven and earth."

"These things are rare, aren't they?" Qin Feng's gaze never left the three giant vines.

"Yes, extremely rare," Fire Yuan sighed. "In the Empire's official trading house, a fully grown Heaven-Piercing Vine sells for 100B."

"100B..." Qin Feng instantly grasped the concept.

He glanced at the "Star-Swallowing" spear in his hand.

This "Heavenly Evolution Weapon," custom-forged for him by the Empire's highest artisan hall and capable of growth, was valued at 1000B.

And 1B equaled one billion Empire Contribution Points.

Its preciousness was thus evident.

"These things are only occasionally produced in the core region of the 'Myriad Races Battlefield,' and their distribution is extremely uneven—rarely seen," Fire Yuan clicked his tongue in genuine admiration. "The 'Universal Genius Tournament' really went all out. They directly placed three here as an opportunity for us."

"Three Heaven-Piercing Vines, and they're about to bear fruit now."

Fire Yuan withdrew his gaze from the distant martial artists, lowered his voice, and said to Qin Feng, "We don't need to do anything now—just one word: wait."

"According to the data I've found, for Heaven-Piercing Vines of this scale, three together can produce about thirty-odd fruits, which are their seeds."

"And each fruit contains immense energy sufficient to skyrocket a planet-level expert's mental power. A dozen or so would be enough to elevate our mental power from the 'Cup Realm' to the 'Lake Realm'!"

Fire Yuan's breathing grew somewhat heavy.

Hearing this, Qin Feng's heart also burned with desire.

Direct access to the "Lake Realm"!

This temptation was irresistible to any planet-level martial artist.

He glanced at the hundred or so experts watching covetously around him, then at the three giant vines about to bear fruit, and understood in his heart.

A bloody struggle over these thirty-odd fruits was about to erupt.

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, over ten days went by.

During these ten-plus days, more and more martial artists streamed in, gathering around the Heaven-Piercing Vines to a total of over ten thousand!

Among these ten thousand martial artists, some were in the hunting phase, hoping to kill at a resource point to restore their normal competition status, while others came purely for the resources.

(End of chapter)