Chapter 255: Guluo King Ruins Open! Human Race is Powerful, I Am the Human Race

Chapter 255: The Ancient Luo King's Ruins Open! The Human Race Is Mighty; I Am a Human Prodigy—Who Dares to Kill Me?!

Qin Feng stood in the cold, dead void of the cosmos, his golden-red mental power spreading like the finest dust, silently permeating his surroundings and merging with the darkness.

His gaze pierced through millions of kilometers, landing beyond the majestic palace shrouded in nebula, where a towering figure clad in purple-gold power armor stood like a supergiant star—immovable yet radiating infinite gravity—suppressing this starfield.

That was a human marquis-level powerhouse.

Even from a distant perception, Qin Feng could judge how vast and terrifying the energy within that being was.

It was beyond comparison with a galactic-level martial artist; the gap between them was greater than that between a firefly and the bright moon.

Why would such a powerful being sit here, yet turn a blind eye to those dozens of imposing, clearly hostile prodigies from myriad races?

Thoughts raced through Qin Feng's mind, instantly constructing several possibilities.

First, perhaps in this marquis's eyes, these so-called prodigies of myriad races were nothing more than a usable whetstone.

Human prodigies needed to grow, and the fastest way was undoubtedly to forge ahead through life-and-death battles at the same level.

By not acting, this marquis intended to use these myriad-race prodigies as trial objects for the human geniuses entering the Ancient Luo King's Ruins, watering the towering trees of humanity's future with their blood and bones.

This approach, in the brutal battlefield of myriad races, was an efficient and cold-blooded open scheme.

Second, it might be related to the "Cosmic Will."

The Cosmic Will was the supreme rule covering the entire myriad-race battlefield; its operation did not shift with any race's will—fair, just, yet also cold and merciless.

Once a living being's actions triggered a task issued by the Cosmic Will, then during the task's execution, even king-level or emperor-level supreme beings could not easily interfere, lest they suffer backlash from the Cosmic Will.

Perhaps the arrival of these myriad-race prodigies was itself part of some Cosmic Will task.

Thinking of this, Qin Feng's mind stirred. His mental power, now transformed to golden-red, vibrated at a mysterious frequency, instantly establishing a link with the omnipresent Cosmic Will.

In an instant, a pale-gold data panel, visible only to him, unfolded deep within his consciousness.

The information on the task panel had indeed changed.

In his hostile task list, the name of the mechanical race prodigy "Kuang Ye," who had hunted him for a hundred years, still hung high, radiating cold hostility.

Yet beneath the name "Kuang Ye," many new targets had appeared, including two who had ascended the Prodigy Ranking.

One was a prodigy from the Holy Spirit Water Tribe, named "Shui Mo," ranked nine hundred and nineteenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

Data showed this being had no fixed form, could gather and disperse as water, and its attack methods were bizarre and unpredictable, with extreme penetrative power—a very troublesome opponent.

The other was even more chilling.

It was a skeletal being from the Undead Tribe, with no recorded true name, only a spine-chilling code name—"Death Knell."

It ranked nine hundred and second on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, over twenty places higher than Ye Luo, the son of the Stone Emperor.

Descriptions of it were sparse, only a few words: "Where the Death Knell tolls, all life withers."

This meant it possessed terrifying large-scale lethal abilities, perhaps related to souls or death.

These three were true prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, each with the terrifying power to challenge higher levels and even slay ordinary galactic-level peak martial artists.

As for the other dozens of myriad-race beings present, though each exuded profound auras and were clearly not easy opponents, they ultimately had not ascended the ranking representing the highest glory of the younger generation of myriad races.

"So that's it..."

Qin Feng understood in his heart, "It seems both reasons are at play."

That human marquis had used the framework of the Cosmic Will task, going with the flow to turn these myriad-race prodigies into a trial for human geniuses.

This both complied with the rules of the Cosmic Will and achieved the goal of nurturing the younger generation for humanity—killing two birds with one stone.

Qin Feng couldn't help but once again marvel at humanity's profound foundation and far-sighted strategy in the "Saint Academy Sea" starfield.

If he were to explore the boundless universe alone like a headless fly, he might spend a hundred thousand or a million years and still not chance upon a world-shaking opportunity like the Ancient Luo King's Ruins, formed after a king-level powerhouse fell.

The universe was too vast; opportunities, relative to the expansive space, were rarer than a grain of gold in a desert of sand.

Yet, as a top genius who had stood out in humanity's "Cosmic Genius War," ranking in the top hundred, he could clearly see, through the star charts granted by the empire, countless precious resource points and opportunity sites marked by countless human ancestors who had spent eons exploring the star sea with blood and fire.

The "Ancient Luo King's Ruins" was clearly one of them.

Using the fallen king-level powerhouse's cultivation palace as an opportunity, and pairing it with a marquis-level martial artist personally guarding it—such a gesture fully demonstrated how humanity spared no effort in nurturing its top geniuses.

Of course, this skewed allocation of resources did not come out of thin air.

The selection process of the Cosmic Genius War was brutal to the extreme: from billions of human elites, through layers of screening and trials of blood and fire, only a mere hundred were finally chosen.

They were not only the most talented and strongest among the empire's younger generation, but their minds and wills were also tempered to the extreme. Most importantly, they possessed an unwavering will that was almost impossible to corrupt by chaos.

Only such prodigies were worthy of humanity pouring all resources into nurturing, because they represented humanity's future and were the cornerstone for humanity to stand unshaken in this cruel universe.

Having understood all this, Qin Feng hesitated no longer.

He concealed all his aura, his form turning into an almost imperceptible streak of light, silently darting toward the direction of the Ancient Luo King's Ruins.

His speed was not fast; he carefully detoured around the areas where the myriad-race prodigies were, intending to first find a hidden corner to observe the situation covertly.

However, just as he reached the fragmented asteroid belt on the outskirts of the Ancient Luo King's Ruins, a vast, cold will devoid of any emotion locked onto him instantly, like the most precise radar.

"Qin Feng!"

A grand and indifferent voice exploded directly in his mental sea.

This voice was not transmitted through sound waves but was pure mental vibration, carrying a texture like metal friction.

Qin Feng followed the sound and saw, before the grand palace that stretched tens of thousands of kilometers like a mountain range across the star sea, a terrifying mechanical war body dozens of kilometers high suspended there.

This war body's construction was perfect to the extreme; every inch was forged from countless unknown high-grade alloys and rare metals gleaming with a faint light, its smooth lines full of a sense of power and destructive aesthetics.

On its massive head, two crimson electronic eyes like small stars stared fixedly in Qin Feng's direction, burning with energy called "soul fire."

It was the mechanical race prodigy, "Kuang Ye."

"I haven't had time to collect your life sample, and yet you deliver yourself to my doorstep?"

Kuang Ye's voice carried a pride that viewed all things as research material.

Boom!

With Kuang Ye's words, the gazes of all beings present—whether the Hidden Dragon Ranking prodigies or the dozens of other myriad-race powerhouses—instantly focused on Qin Feng.

Curiosity, scrutiny, amusement, greed, killing intent... a myriad of complex wills wove into an invisible net, enveloping Qin Feng.

Under the gaze of so many powerhouses, any ordinary galactic-level martial artist would likely have lost their composure.

"Heh."

Qin Feng only let out a light laugh, his form slowly emerging from the shadow of the asteroid belt.

He stood in the void, his posture straight as a spear, facing that massive mechanical war body with no trace of fear or retreat in his eyes.

A thousand years of bitter cultivation had already transformed him completely.

In terms of raw strength, he was indeed no longer afraid of Kuang Ye.

Perhaps in realm cultivation, his progress toward the "Eternal Singularity" still lagged behind Kuang Ye, but the quality of his mental power had evolved from pure gold to a higher level of golden-red, meaning that with the same total amount, his mental power's resilience, explosive force, and recovery speed would far surpass Kuang Ye's.

Not only that, his core killing technique, the ninth-level "Heaven Splitter," was nearing completion.

And the "Star Devourer" spear in his hand, after a thousand years of nourishment and refinement with his crystal race body, had long successfully transformed into a galactic-level secret treasure, its power surging more than tenfold.

With these shifts in relative strength, he had absolute confidence to face this old enemy who had once made him flee in panic for a hundred years, in a direct battle!

"Hmph!"

Feeling Qin Feng's undisguised confidence and battle intent, the soul-fire within Kuang Ye's crimson electronic eyes suddenly blazed brighter.

To him, Qin Feng's posture was a provocation—a challenge from an excellent "specimen" to its researcher.

Countless energy circuits on his massive mechanical war-body lit up in an instant, and a devastating energy began to converge rapidly.

At the same time, the myriad prodigies of other races around them stirred restlessly.

They were delighted to see these two powerhouses on the Hidden Dragon List clash first, like a snipe and a clam locked in struggle, so they could reap the benefits as the fisherman.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the arena was tense, on the verge of an explosive battle.

Just at this critical juncture—

"Silence."

A voice, majestic and indifferent, seemed to descend from the highest heavens, yet also resounded in the hearts of every living being.

With this voice, an indescribable, terrifying majesty swept across the entire scene like an invisible tide.

Under this pressure, space itself seemed to freeze, and the flow of time grew sluggish.

Every living being present—whether prodigies ranked on the Hidden Dragon List or other powerful alien races—felt their breath catch in an instant, their souls seemingly gripped by an invisible hand, trembling uncontrollably.

They all erupted with their strongest spiritual power and energy, struggling to resist this overwhelming pressure that threatened to crush them.

The speaker was none other than the human marquis-level powerhouse who had been standing silently in the distance.

With his intervention, the destructive energy on Kuang Ye that had been about to erupt subsided slowly, like boiling water forcibly calmed.

His crimson electronic eyes flickered a few times, and a vast stream of data rapidly computed, instantly reaching a conclusion.

"So that's it—it's because of the mission you triggered."

Kuang Ye turned to Qin Feng, and in his icy voice, there was even a hint of amusement—the understanding of one who had grasped the truth.

Hearing this, the other prodigies of myriad races present also understood in an instant.

Everyone realized the root cause of the scene before them.

It turned out that this "Guluo King's Ruins" was originally a private resource point marked by the human race.

Under normal circumstances, non-human beings had no way of knowing its coordinates.

The reason Kuang Ye could come here was precisely because of the hostile mission between him and Qin Feng, certified by the cosmic will.

By contacting Qin Feng, the core of the mission, and leveraging his own status as a Hidden Dragon List prodigy, he had successfully triggered a random mission issued by the cosmic will, thereby obtaining the coordinates of this opportunity site.

Subsequently, Shui Mo of the Holy Spirit Water Tribe and Sang Zhong of the Undead Tribe, by contacting Kuang Ye—the mission trigger—were also drawn into the mission chain.

As for the other myriad-race beings, through contact with these three Hidden Dragon List prodigies, like ripples spreading outward, layer by layer, they too were eventually incorporated into this vast mission centered on the "Guluo King's Ruins."

This situation was not uncommon in the myriad-race battlefield; it had even become an unspoken rule known to all races.

Everyone knew that the human race had once dispatched countless king-level, even legendary emperor-level beings, spending eons to meticulously explore the first half of the myriad-race battlefield—the "Holy Academy Sea" region—marking countless sites of opportunity.

Thus, for the young prodigies of myriad races, if they encountered a human top-tier prodigy with a deep background in the battlefield and formed a connection with them, there was a high probability of triggering a cosmic will mission, thereby "borrowing the path" to obtain the coordinates of those opportunity sites tightly guarded by humans.

This was a gamble where risk and opportunity coexisted.

Under such circumstances, the human powerhouse responsible for guarding the opportunity site could not interfere with the mission process governed by the cosmic will.

In other words, during the competition for opportunities, they could not act.

But before the competition began and after it ended, this human powerhouse was no longer bound by any restrictions and could act without restraint.

Generally, both sides maintained a delicate balance.

If a myriad-race prodigy truly had the skill to take the core opportunity from a human prodigy in fair competition, then as long as that prodigy's background was sufficiently deep—for instance, hailing from the Holy Spirit Tribe, Mechanical Tribe, Star Beasts, Crystal Tribe, or other top cosmic races, or being the direct disciple or offspring of some powerful being—the human powerhouse would usually not pursue them afterward.

They would only mark their coordinates, listing them as a "hunting mission" target for human prodigies, letting peers settle the matter.

Behind this lay mutual fear and compromise between races and between powerhouses.

But if a member of a weak race like the Fire Bull Tribe or Fire Pig Tribe snatched the opportunity, what awaited them would be an unhesitating thunderous strike from the human powerhouse.

They would be killed on the spot, and the opportunity would be returned to its site, awaiting the next opening.

Being used as a whetstone by the human race, facing various restrictions during the competition for opportunities, and even being explicitly forbidden from killing the human prodigy serving as the "key"... This was indeed a suffocating experience for the proud myriad-race prodigies.

But there was no help for it—who could deny the human race's overwhelming strength in this "Holy Academy Sea" starfield?

Only by leaving the Holy Academy Sea and entering the broader, more chaotic deep battlefield known as the "Endless Sea" would human dominance gradually wane, making them just one of many top-tier powers.

So, despite the frustration, for the sake of tangible, world-shaking opportunities, the top prodigies of various major races were willing to participate in this restricted game.

After all, being hunted by a human prodigy didn't necessarily mean death;

But missing an opportunity left by a king-level powerhouse would be a lifelong regret.

"Your Excellency the Marquis,"

At that moment, Shui Mo of the Holy Spirit Water Tribe spoke.

His body, composed of liquid water, twisted and transformed, eventually taking the shape of a lifelike, ferocious water dragon thousands of kilometers long.

His massive dragon head lowered slightly toward the purple-gold figure as a sign of respect, and his voice resonated like the deep ocean's echo: "Is this Guluo King's Ruins still following the old rules? If so, then we shall not stand on ceremony and will compete freely within the rules.

If Your Excellency is unwilling, we will leave immediately."

His words voiced the sentiments of all the myriad-race prodigies present.

The marquis-level warrior, clad in purple-gold power armor, bore a dignified and graceful demeanor, exuding an indescribable majesty.

Behind him, a pair of enormous bat wings slowly unfurled, their surfaces flowing with dark purple energy radiance, as if capable of devouring all light.

His face, hidden beneath his helmet, was unreadable, but his voice, as steady as a mountain, rang out across the starry sky:

"The old rules."

"The Guluo King's Ruins are about to open. Before the hall gates open, no living being is permitted to start any conflict here. All of you, wait patiently."

With the marquis's final word, the tense atmosphere that had gripped the scene dissipated instantly.

Kuang Ye withdrew his energy fluctuations and fell back into stillness.

Shui Mo's massive water dragon form slowly dissolved, reverting into an inconspicuous sphere of water.

The other myriad-race prodigies each found a meteorite or simply floated in the void, closing their eyes to rest, quietly waiting.

Qin Feng also located a large fragment of a meteorite, sat cross-legged, and began to adjust his state.

He could sense several faint yet powerful wills still locked onto him, with those of Kuang Ye, Shui Mo, and Sang Zhong being the most distinct.

He knew that once he entered the Guluo King's Ruins, a fierce battle would be inevitable, but his safety was not a concern—it was absolutely assured.

None of the myriad-race prodigies present dared to kill him under the watchful eye of the marquis-level warrior.

For a moment, a profound sense of security surged within Qin Feng.

Time passed slowly in this eerie stillness and oppressive anticipation.

About three days later—

*Hum—*

A roar, as if from the ancient primordial wilderness, erupted without warning!

The ancient Luo King's Ruins, which had lain silent across the starry sea for countless millennia, suddenly trembled violently in their majestic temple core.

Then, around the temple's periphery, the visible, ancient formations woven from countless runes began to shatter inch by inch, like glass eroded by time, dissolving into a sky full of shimmering specks.

Rumble!

Under the stunned gaze of all living beings, the two colossal doors of the Luo King's Ruins, each tens of thousands of kilometers high and seemingly forged from a single block of divine metal, slowly swung inward with a grating, teeth-jarring roar.

This was once the cultivation abode of the Luo King, and also his bedchamber before his fall.

What treasures and wonders lay hidden within the collection of a king-level powerhouse?

No one knew, but all understood that it was a hoard enough to drive even marquis-level experts to madness.

As the doors opened, a fragrance, thick to the extreme, a blend of countless celestial treasures, surged forth like a breached flood from the depths of the great hall.

Merely inhaling this scent, every creature of the myriad races present had their eyes turn bloodshot in an instant, their breaths quickened, and their reason nearly swallowed by the most primal greed.

"Charge!"

A hoarse shout rang out from someone.

In the next moment, a dozen streaks of light, faster than lightning, tore through the silent void, madly rushing toward the open doors.

Qin Feng was not to be outdone. With a flicker of movement, his entire form transformed into a dazzling golden-red rainbow, wrapped in an unmatched sharp aura, and he followed closely, plunging directly into the deep, mysterious Luo King's Ruins.

...

As Qin Feng's figure vanished into the gaping temple doors of the Luo King's Ruins, an irresistible, vast spatial force, like a sea of stars, instantly enveloped him.

The scene before him twisted and blurred, as if he had fallen into a chaotic stream of time and space woven from billions of light and shadow.

The entire process lasted less than an instant. The next moment, the sensation of solid ground beneath his feet returned, and the surrounding light and shadow had stabilized.

Qin Feng immediately retracted his habitually spread mental power, compressing it tightly within three feet of his body, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

This was the Luo King's Ruins, the fallen site and former bedchamber of a true king-level powerhouse.

Before entering, his senior brother, Marquis Huo Lin, had solemnly warned that such ancient residences of the mighty were often filled with the unintentional Dao rhythms and rules left behind by their owners, as well as deliberately placed prohibitions.

These prohibitions, after countless ages, might have diminished in power, but their core "king-level" essence remained unchanged.

Once rashly triggered, their unleashed force could instantly obliterate a galaxy-level cultivator, leaving not even a trace of a soul behind.

Here, recklessly spreading mental power to probe was akin to dancing wildly in a minefield—pure suicide.

The moment his mental power retracted, an indescribable, almost tangible pressure surged from all directions, weighing heavily on his body and soul.

This majesty was grand, vast, ancient, carrying an absolute will that ruled the universe and commanded the heavens and earth.

It was not deliberately aimed at anyone, merely a lingering breath of the master left in the world, the deepest imprint of his existence.

Yet, this remnant aura, long dead for countless epochs, still possessed the terrifying power to suppress the ages.

Qin Feng grunted, feeling even his indestructible tower tremble slightly under this pressure.

The flow of energy within his body suddenly became unbearably sluggish, as if trapped in thick mud, each mobilization requiring many times the effort needed outside.

He tried to activate the *Ten Complete Hands*, only to find that the once surging river of energy had now become a trickling stream, slow and heavy.

"What terrifying pressure!" Qin Feng's heart churned with shock.

He immediately assessed his condition, and the conclusion made his heart sink.

Under the suppression of this residual kingly might, the strength he could exert was likely less than a tenth of his peak.

This was merely the unconscious residual power of a long-fallen king.

Had he been at his peak, a single thought might have been enough to completely annihilate a galaxy-level cultivator like him in the river of time.

"King... King..."

Qin Feng silently savored the word, gaining a more direct and profound understanding of the terror of this realm.

Such power had transcended mere energy accumulation, beginning to touch the fundamental rules of the universe—words became law, and wherever thought reached, rules followed.

He steadied himself and began to carefully survey his surroundings.

He now stood in a vast, empty side hall.

The dome of the hall soared into the clouds, inscribed with intricate and profound star charts. Even after countless ages, faint glows still flowed along the trajectories of the stars, exuding a mysterious aura.

The surrounding walls were made of some unknown dark-gold metal, carved with countless sacred beings with spread wings, so lifelike they seemed ready to fly out of the walls.

The floor was paved with smooth white jade slabs, spotless and mirror-like.

The air was filled with a faint, ancient scent, a mix of dust and some strange fragrance.

The entire side hall was silent, with no trace of any other living being besides himself.

"It seems all creatures entering the Luo King's Ruins are randomly teleported to different areas."

Qin Feng quickly made his judgment.

This was neither good nor bad news for him.

The advantage was that he didn't have to worry about immediately clashing with other prodigies of the myriad races, allowing him to explore at his leisure.

The disadvantage was that he couldn't immediately track the movements of others, especially the positions of the three Hidden Dragon List prodigies: Wild, Shui Mo, and Death Knell.

However, Qin Feng didn't dwell on it.

In this perilous place, survival came first, followed by missions and opportunities.

He once again linked with the universal will to confirm his mission objective—the shattered king-level secret treasure [Ancient Luo Bell].

If he could successfully obtain a fragment of the Ancient Luo Bell, he would complete this universal will task and receive a "Bronze Treasure Chest" as a reward.

Qin Feng had never completed such a task before, and he was full of anticipation for the chest's contents, enough to make him take the risk.

Moreover, outside the hall, a human marquis-level powerhouse was stationed.

According to the unwritten rules of the myriad races' battlefield, as long as he didn't die from the Luo King's Ruins' prohibitions or guardian beasts, the myriad races' creatures wouldn't dare to besiege him after seizing the treasure.

This was undoubtedly his greatest confidence.

"The Luo King's Ruins, rather than a bedchamber, is more like a vast complex of countless palaces."

Qin Feng mused, "All creatures are likely teleported to different peripheral structures, though it's not impossible for someone to be incredibly lucky and land directly in the core area."

"But no matter what, as the Luo King's former life-bound secret treasure, the fragments of the Ancient Luo Bell must be stored in the most central main hall."

Soon, Qin Feng formulated a clear plan: cautiously explore the side halls along the way, using his advantages to search for possible resources, while steadily advancing toward the core main hall, striving to obtain the Ancient Luo Bell fragment as quickly as possible and complete the mission.

"I have one more major advantage."

A confident smile curled at the corner of Qin Feng's mouth.

"That is, I possess the maps left behind by human sages, explored and paid for with blood and life."

With a thought, on the HUD interface of his "Limit" power armor, faint blue lines rapidly interwove and outlined, eventually forming an extremely precise, complex three-dimensional structural diagram.

This was the internal structure of the Luo King's Ruins.

The diagram clearly marked the already explored safe paths, danger zones, approximate distribution of prohibitions, and even key palaces where predecessors had noted possible opportunities.

This map was a precious treasure accumulated over countless generations of human prodigies exploring the myriad races' battlefield, built with life and wisdom.

Those who failed to obtain opportunities and fell or left would upload their exploration information to the human internal database, paving the way for future prodigies.

Looking at the precious map, Qin Feng could not help but feel a deeper sense of identity with the human race's strength and unity.

It was precisely this spirit of inheritance, where predecessors planted trees and descendants enjoyed the shade, that allowed the human race to stand firm and grow ever stronger in the cruel battlefield of myriad races.

"Go."

Qin Feng reined in his thoughts, compared his position with the map, and chose a relatively safe path. With a shift of his body, he transformed into an imperceptible shadow, cautiously stealthing toward an adjacent side palace.

His movements were light and noiseless, each step landing precisely on the safe points marked on the map, his mental power highly concentrated, alert to any possible variables.

The journey of exploration into the Guluo King Ruins officially began.

Time flowed silently through the quiet halls; for experts immersed in exploration and cultivation, time was the easiest scale to overlook.

Qin Feng's process of exploration was filled with ultimate patience and caution.

The scope of the Guluo King Ruins far exceeded his imagination, with each palace forming its own space, vast and boundless.

The restrictions within were as dense as stars; a slight oversight could lead to eternal damnation.

Therefore, his speed of progress was exceptionally slow.

Soon, he arrived at a place marked as the "Hundred Herb Garden."

According to the map records, this was once the place where King Guluo cultivated rare flowers and exotic herbs.

Even outside the hall, Qin Feng could feel a faint, pure aura of vegetation.

However, the path leading to the palace gates was covered with dense, microscopic restrictions invisible to the naked eye, hovering like dust in the air, omnipresent and interconnected to form a dragnet.

Qin Feng did not choose to force his way through.

He sat cross-legged outside the restriction network, his eyes slightly closed, and his mental power, which had transformed into a gold-red hue, divided into hundreds of millions of tentacles countless times thinner than a strand of hair, cautiously probing into the restriction network.

The extraordinary quality of his transformed mental power allowed his thinking speed to reach an appalling state.

The structure of countless restriction runes, the trajectories of energy flow, and the interconnected reactions among them... all information was rapidly analyzed, modeled, and deduced within his mind.

This process was tedious and lengthy, consuming a full three months of Qin Feng's time.

Three months later, he suddenly snapped his eyes open, a sharp gleam of total comprehension flashing within his gaze.

Qin Feng had already found the sole "path of life" within this restriction network.

He stood up and stepped into the restrictions with steady strides.

Qin Feng's figure shifted left, turned right, retreated, and paused, each movement exquisite to the absolute limit, perfectly evading all trigger points of the restrictions.

Walking as if strolling through a courtyard, he crossed this deadly area—which would have rendered an ordinary galaxy-level cultivator completely immobile—without a single scratch, finally pushing open the heavy gates of the Hundred Herb Garden.

Inside the hall, a dead silence reigned.

Countless once-rare flowers and exotic herbs had turned to ash under the erosion of time, leaving behind only empty jade shelves and dried-up spiritual fields.

However, right in the center of the grand hall, upon a stone platform crafted from "Soul-Nurturing Jade," lay a single plant quietly.

Its petals had withered and curled, their color dim, and ninety percent of its once-vigorous life essence had drained away, yet its unique form and the remaining strand of pure aura caused Qin Feng's heart to skip a beat.

"Vipassana Flower!"

An uncontrollable joy erupted in Qin Feng's eyes.

He had never imagined that so soon after entering the Guluo King Ruins, he would encounter such a heaven-defying natural treasure once again!

Qin Feng quickly stepped forward to inspect it closely.

Although this Vipassana Flower had experienced endless years without care, causing its medicinal efficacy to drain severely, he judged that the energy it contained was likely less than ten percent of the one he obtained at the Floating Mountain during its prime.

But even so, this was absolutely an immense harvest!

For breaking through to the "Eternal Singularity," any minuscule amount of progress was invaluable.

This withered Vipassana Flower might not cause his Dao foundation's progress to leap exponentially, but it could at least save him hundreds or even thousands of years of bitter cultivation, and the quality of his mental power would climb slightly once more.

Qin Feng carefully stored it into his subspace storage unit, his heart filled with inexpressible joy.

This trip to the Guluo King Ruins had only just begun, yet the harvest was already so immense, making him look forward to the upcoming exploration with even greater anticipation.

...

Seven or eight years had already passed.

As time flowed, Qin Feng endured untold hardships and finally arrived at an important location marked on the map called the "Inheritance Hall."

During these seven or eight years, he had broken through countless ingenious mechanisms and traps, unraveled over a hundred complex restriction formations, and even brushed past death several times.

The final trial leading to the Inheritance Hall, however, was an illusionary test so long it bordered on despair.

The moment he stepped into that area, the surrounding scenery shifted instantly.

He found himself trapped in an endless void battlefield, facing infinite, fearless enemies who fought to the death.

He fought time and again, exhausted his strength time and again, and was reborn time and again under the rules of the illusion, repeating the cycle endlessly without end.

Time lost its meaning within the illusion.

A year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years...

Qin Feng felt as though he had spent several millennia within it.

His combat skills were polished to an even purer degree through the cycles of life and death, but his mind and soul were gradually worn down and numbed amidst this endless repetition and slaughter, to the point where he began to forget his original purpose.

This was the most terrifying ordeal of the mind, designed to erode the intruder's will, causing them to sink completely into the illusion until their spirit collapsed and their soul dispersed.

However, Qin Feng's mental power, which had been tempered by the Vipassana Flower and transformed into a gold-red hue, along with his rock-solid martial heart, played their role at the most critical juncture.

During another interval of seemingly endless combat, a sudden jolt of alertness rose within his heart.

His pure martial intent caused him to feel an instinctive aversion to this meaningless combat that brought no genuine improvement.

The gold-red radiance of his mental power blossomed deep within his sea of consciousness, like a great sun breaking through layers of dense fog.

"Illusions are all vanity!"

A furious roar originating from the depths of his soul caused the entire illusion world to tremble violently.

Qin Feng held fast to his true heart, relying on that extraordinary will to forcefully tear himself away from the thousands of years of cyclical slaughter.

When he opened his eyes once more, he found himself still standing before the gates of the Inheritance Hall, his body unmoved by even a fraction, though his forehead was covered with fine beads of cold sweat.

In the real world, only ten years had passed.

A thousand years in the illusion, ten years in reality.

The danger of this trial left him with lingering fears even now.

But after successfully passing it, the harvest was equally massive.

He pushed open the heavy

Qin Feng absorbed the information, and ecstasy surged within him.

For techniques of slaughter, he possessed "Heaven-Splitting" and "Vast Mountain Range," so he was not in urgent need.

But this black hole-level artifact-forging inheritance precisely filled his greatest shortcoming!

His Star-Swallowing Spear and Limit Power Armor, though Heaven-Evolution weapons that could grow with him, would undoubtedly have their foundations strengthened and future potential magnified if guided and tempered by masterful forging techniques at critical bottlenecks.

Moreover, for a black hole-level martial artist in the cosmos, more skills never weighed one down—forging, formations, killing arts, all were indispensable.

"What incredible luck!"

Qin Feng exclaimed from the heart.

This journey to the Inheritance Hall, though it cost ten years and perilous illusion trials, was all worth it for such a precious black hole-level forging secret art.

It was not in vain that he had traversed countless life-and-death restrictions, remaining cautious until now.

...

Time advanced another thirty-odd years.

Now, Qin Feng had delved deep into the middle region of the Guluo King Ruins, arriving at a cluster of side halls surrounding the main hall.

Before him stood a side hall with its doors tightly shut, yet at the entrance loomed dozens of colossal statues, each a hundred meters tall.

These statues took varied forms—some humanoid, some bestial—all clad in heavy armor, wielding giant weapons, exuding a cold and lifeless aura.

They were the guardian beasts left by the Guluo King, forged by secret arts, loyal palace sentinels.

However, endless ages had drained the spiritual energy and mental power stored within them; now, only an indelible spiritual imprint left deep in their cores by the Guluo King sustained their movement.

Even so, as Qin Feng approached, the hollow eye sockets of these guardian beasts simultaneously flared with crimson light, and waves of savage, mechanical killing intent locked onto him.

Facing these guardian beasts, Qin Feng felt an unprecedented challenge.

Individually, their strength might not be top-tier, but their material was incredibly tough, rivaling galaxy-level secret treasures.

The most troublesome part was that their energy cores were tightly linked to the defensive restrictions of the entire side hall.

If Qin Feng used overly powerful moves, like "Heaven-Splitting" or "Vast Mountain Range," the energy shock from the attack could easily trigger the hall's restrictions, leading to a dead end where both hall and man perished.

He could not go all out.

This battle became an extreme exercise in "scratching."

Qin Feng, wielding the Star-Swallowing Spear, wove his form among the dozens of guardian beasts.

He controlled his power with exquisite precision; with each thrust, he used just the right amount of force, accurately striking the beasts' joints, energy nodes, and other vulnerable points.

The spear tip clashed against the beasts' hard bodies, producing a series of crisp "clink-clank" sounds, sparks flying.

This was an ultimate test of patience, skill, and endurance.

A day, a month, a year...

Qin Feng tirelessly repeated his attacks and evasions.

He treated this battle as a unique form of cultivation, honing his micro-control over power.

A full ten years!

After spending a full decade, he finally extinguished the core spiritual imprint of the last guardian beast.

With a "crack," the beast crashed to the ground, turning into a heap of useless metal.

Qin Feng let out a long breath of stale air; ten years of unbroken high-intensity precision combat had left even him feeling a trace of fatigue.

Without delay, he pushed open the door and entered this heavily guarded side hall.

Inside, there was still an inheritance stele.

This time, he obtained a black hole-level secret art called "Master Seal."

This art was extremely domineering; through it, a cultivator could expend their mental energy to condense an unbreakable slave mark.

Once this mark was implanted into another being's soul, one could completely control their life and death; with a single thought, one could make their soul scatter.

Hence it was called the Master Seal.

"What a terrifying secret art."

Qin Feng examined the information in his mind, inwardly alarmed.

This art was utterly vicious, offending the harmony of heaven.

But in the brutal environment of the Myriad Races Battlefield, where it was kill or be killed, it was undoubtedly a powerful means of control.

Qin Feng felt no moral burden; he thought this art was quite good and stored the inheritance stele in his subspace storage unit.

In the future, it might come in handy.

This also served as preparation for the black hole level, after all, a black hole-level martial artist never has too many skills—the more knowledge, the better, and secret arts count as knowledge.

Thus, from the start of entering the Guluo King Ruins, a full fifty years had passed.

Qin Feng looked back; the path he had come was already obscured by layers of halls.

Ahead, the outline of a central main hall, far more majestic and grand than all the surrounding side halls combined, was faintly visible.

Fifty years of cautious exploration, fifty years of arduous trekking—he had finally fought his way from the outermost region to the vicinity of the main hall.

His ultimate goal—the fragment of the Guluo Bell—was not far away.

(End of chapter)