Chapter 329: Blessing! The Most Terrifying Thing About Gambling is Winning Money! Evil Bone Marquis

Chapter 329: The Benediction! The Most Terrifying Aspect of Gambling is Winning! The Arrival of the Evil Bone Marquis! Pressure Descends Everywhere!

Under the gaze of the multitude, one could hear a pin drop within the Yaoguang Palace.

Lei and Princess Lingyao stood side by side upon the central dais, their faces radiant with a devotion and bliss that bordered on religious fervor.

This was the final rite of their wedding, the most sacred, extreme, and incomprehensible ritual of the ancient heritage of the Spirit Deer Universe: the exchange of soul imprints.

To lay bare the very essence of one’s soul before another requires immense courage. Yet, the steps that followed transcended all reason.

As the guests held their breath, the two soul imprints touched lightly in the air, devoid of earth-shattering energy, manifesting only a harmony as seamless as water blending with milk.

They traced a graceful arc, drifting toward the center of each other’s brows.

There was not a flicker of resistance, not a hint of hesitation.

The golden star imprint merged into Lingyao’s soul essence; the moon-white ice lotus imprint sank deep into the depths of Lei’s spirit.

From this moment on, they had placed the power over their very lives and deaths into each other’s hands.

"Madness... absolute madness..."

A sovereign from a neighboring universe muttered to himself. Having lived for millions of years and witnessed countless wonders, this act of tethering one’s existence so completely to "love" still made his scalp tingle.

"Is this the tradition of the Spirit Deer clan? It is... awe-inspiring, yet utterly baffling."

"What trust! What profound affection! To entrust one’s lifeblood entirely to another—does such a bond truly exist in this world?"

Whispers rippled through the crowd like the buzzing of flies, thick with shock, skepticism, and a trace of indescribable emotion.

Just then, the anomaly struck!

The very instant their soul imprints fused completely with the other’s essence—

Hum!

A pillar of light, its color so magnificent it defied description, tore through the dome of the Yaoguang Palace without warning. It pierced the laws of space, descending with pinpoint precision from the infinite heights to envelop Lei and Lingyao entirely!

This was no mere energy; it was a tapestry of dreamlike pink and profound violet. As the light swirled, it seemed as if billions of flowers were blooming, while countless spirits sang the most joyous and fulfilling hymns.

An ineffable aura, brimming with the sublimation of life and the pinnacle of ecstasy, surged outward like a tidal wave.

Merely by catching a whiff of this aura, the lower-ranked guests felt their souls tremble. A sense of profound, ultimate happiness welled up from within, as if every desire of their lives had been satisfied in that singular moment.

As for Lei and Lingyao, at the heart of the pillar, they underwent a cataclysmic transformation!

"Ah—"

Both let out a cry that was simultaneously agonizing and ecstatic. Fine cracks appeared across their skin, only to heal instantly under the glow of the pink-violet light.

Their cells reorganized at an unprecedented speed; their genetic chains were forcibly severed, only to be reconnected in a manner far more perfect and advanced.

Their level of existence was leaping forward in a way that defied every law of cultivation!

Galaxy-level initial... Galaxy-level intermediate... Galaxy-level advanced... Peak!

Bottlenecks, in this moment, simply ceased to exist!

Boom!

A terrifying aura, far surpassing the Galaxy-level, erupted from their bodies—the distinct force field of a Black Hole-level entity, capable of warping time and space!

In less than ten breaths, they had traversed a path that would take countless geniuses hundreds of thousands of years to walk, ascending directly to the Black Hole-level!

And this was no mere forced growth.

Under the baptism of the light, their physical strength, soul quality, and spiritual purity continued to soar at a visible rate. Their foundations appeared exceptionally solid, even more stable than those of veteran Black Hole-level powerhouses who had toiled for ages!

They had truly become Black Hole-level masters!

The pillar of light slowly dissipated.

Lei and Lingyao hovered in mid-air, feeling the unprecedented power within them—a strength capable of crushing stars with a single hand. Their faces were etched with uncontrollable ecstasy and a profound, bone-deep gratitude.

They embraced tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

"This is... this is the blessing of the gods!"

Lei’s voice trembled with excitement. "Our love is real! It has been recognized by the divine!"

"Yes! It is a divine benediction!"

Lingyao wept with joy, burying her head in her lover’s chest.

This scene ignited the entire hall.

After a brief, deathly silence, the Yaoguang Palace erupted in a cacophony of shouts and screams like a mountain collapsing.

"Heaven! A miracle! What have I witnessed? This is a true miracle!"

"Ascension in a single step! From Galaxy-level to Black Hole-level! How... how is this possible!!"

"A benediction! The legendary benediction! I once read in an ancient codex that at the dawn of the universe’s chaos, there existed a great deity who governed 'love' and 'passion.'

It asks for no sacrifice, cares not for lineage, and only blesses those lovers whose devotion is pure, unblemished, and undying. As long as one truly achieves 'love,' one receives this unreserved, selfless gift!"

An old man trembled with excitement, as if witnessing the birth of a legend.

His words were a spark thrown into a vat of oil, instantly igniting the fanaticism of all present.

"So the legends are true! Love is, in fact, a form of power!"

"Think of the hundreds of thousands of years of toil saved! This is faster and more dreamlike than any fortuitous encounter!"

"The Spirit Deer Universe... they actually possess the method to commune with this deity!"

Countless young cultivators stared with eyes burning with near-madness.

They saw a brand-new shortcut to power.

What was toil, what was enlightenment, what was the tempering of life and death? In this moment, all seemed trivial.

As long as one could find a "true love" willing to exchange soul imprints, one could ascend to the heavens in a single bound!

Jealousy, envy, greed, and fervor—all these emotions fermented within the hall, forming a wave that threatened to shatter reason itself.

On the main throne, Qin Feng’s expression was graver than ever before.

The moment that pink-violet light appeared, he had sensed that familiar, nauseating aura—Slaanesh!

But unlike the followers he had encountered before, this aura was grander, purer, and far more... deceptive.

Deep within his eyes, two black holes seemed to rotate slowly. His legendary "pure black quality" mental energy, acting like an invisible probe, scanned the bodies and souls of Lei and Lingyao at a microscopic level, faster than the speed of light, over and over again.

Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...

The results of the scan sent shockwaves through Qin Feng’s heart.

"How can this be?"

He was shocked to discover that, aside from the source of that immense power clearly carrying the aura of Slaanesh, their wills remained clear, their souls remained pure, and there was not the slightest sign of corruption or distortion in their Dao hearts.

The power they had gained, though evil in origin, was being utilized through the most orthodox human techniques, devoid of any trickery.

It was as if Slaanesh had truly become a generous philanthropist, bestowing a monumental opportunity upon them simply because it "admired" their love.

This completely overturned Qin Feng’s understanding of the Chaos Gods.

"Can it be that the Chaos Gods truly possess a 'positive' side? Or is it that the authority of 'pleasure' can manifest in such a way through 'pure love'?"

The thought had barely surfaced before he extinguished it in an instant.

"No! Absolutely impossible!"

Qin Feng’s Dao heart was as firm as a monolith; having resisted the will of Khorne for one hundred and fifty thousand years, he understood the essence of the Chaos Gods better than anyone.

Chaos, destruction, corruption, depravity—these were the true colors of their nature.

Beneath any appearance of beauty, there inevitably lurked the deepest and most venomous of schemes.

"This is not poison; it is a far more sinister and long-term conspiracy."

Qin Feng’s eyes turned incomparably cold.

At his waist, the head of the Slaaneshi cultist, sealed by arcane arts, remained utterly motionless.

This only confirmed his suspicions: the "miracle" before him operated on a logic entirely distinct from conventional corruption.

He cast a calm, sidelong glance at Master Sanruo beside him.

The expert from the Heavenly Mystery Sect was also frowning, yet deep within his eyes lay a flicker of realization.

"Master, have you discerned any clues?"

Qin Feng transmitted via mental energy.

Master Sanruo remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened eyes that seemed to perceive the span of eternity, replying in kind: "Benefactor Qin Feng, this is a 'hook of desire,' not a 'poison'."

"A hook of desire?"

Qin Feng ruminated on the term.

"Poison kills upon ingestion, and all men fear it. But a hook of desire uses fragrant bait; it does not kill, it merely lures. Today’s miracle is that very bait cast into the ocean of the cosmos."

Master Sanruo’s voice carried a note of profound anxiety. "I wandered to this place precisely because of this matter."

Qin Feng understood in an instant.

So that was it!

Slaanesh’s goal was never to corrupt two mere galaxy-level beings like Lei and Ling Yao.

The deity was "acting"—performing for every living soul in the universe!

It was declaring to all: Look, worship me, pursue the ultimate 'love,' and you shall reap without sowing, ascending to the heavens in a single step!

This was ten thousand times more terrifying than any forced corruption!

It was twisting the values of all sentient beings at their very roots.

Once this concept of a "shortcut to love" took hold, who would ever bother to toil and cultivate with their feet on the ground?

The entire cultivation civilization of the universe would be shaken, perhaps even collapse!

This was a true, devastating plot to pull the firewood from beneath the cauldron!

It was just like gambling.

When does a gambler begin their descent?

It begins the moment they win their first bet!

"I understand," Qin Feng replied. "Let us watch and wait."

The two reached a consensus to remain patient.

Since the mastermind had cast the bait, they would surely wait for the fish to bite, and at that moment, more flaws would inevitably be revealed.

...

The shock and fervor of the miracle lingered, refusing to fade.

The wedding ceremony concluded, and the grand banquet officially began.

Celestial music played, delicacies flowed like water, and the air was thick with the mellow fragrance of top-tier immortal nectar.

Having witnessed that earth-shattering "blessing," the guests were in an even higher state of agitation.

They toasted frequently and spoke in loud voices, yet the conversation never strayed from the newlyweds and the mysterious "God of Love."

Many had already begun to probe the officials of the Spirit Deer Universe, eager to learn the specific conditions for performing such a ritual.

Lei and Ling Yao, dressed in opulent finery, basked in the gazes of envy and awe cast upon them from all directions.

They were the absolute center of attention.

According to the proceedings, the next step should have been for the couple to toast the distinguished guests.

And the first cup, by virtue of status, position, and strength, should have been offered to the only person present who was the supreme ruler of this star sector—the Fierce God, Qin Feng.

The Spirit Deer Sovereign was radiant, his spirit vigorous.

His daughter and son-in-law had ascended to become Black Hole-level powerhouses; this was not only his personal glory but the hope for the rise of the entire Spirit Deer Universe.

He picked up a goblet carved from a single piece of "Star Gold," filled with "Myriad Fruit Nectar" shimmering with seven-colored halos, and walked toward Qin Feng’s seat with a beaming smile.

"Lord Qin Feng..."

He bowed, raising the cup high, his face overflowing with genuine joy and reverence, preparing to deliver the toast he had long rehearsed.

However, his movements suddenly froze.

Time, at this moment, seemed to have been pressed into a pause.

The smile on the face of the Spirit Deer Sovereign, so vibrant a second ago, solidified. In his eyes, a flash of confusion was instantly replaced by boundless terror and agony.

Under the horrified gaze of all, his body began to "weather" in an extremely eerie fashion.

It was not burning, nor was it decomposing; rather, like a sand sculpture left in a gale for a billion years, it began to crumble from the skin inward, turning into the finest black powder that drifted away in wisps.

The magnificent royal robes lost their support and slid to the floor, while the body within vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Father...?"

Not far away, Ling Yao’s smile had not yet faded; she sensed her father’s abnormality and called out instinctively.

There was no response.

The Spirit Deer Sovereign’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, as if pleading for help, but he could emit no noise. His life force was plummeting at a cliff-like rate.

Simultaneously, within the "pure black quality" of Qin Feng’s mental perception, he clearly "saw" everything occurring within the Sovereign’s soul.

A pitch-black, virulent poison that had long lain dormant in the depths of his soul’s origin was being detonated.

This poison, filled with the most malicious curses and resentment, was frantically eroding his spirit.

The once-brilliant soul turned filthy and wretched in an instant, brimming with despair and agony.

Finally, with a silent soul-scream that only Qin Feng, Master Sanruo, and a few other powerhouses could hear...

Bang!

The Spirit Deer Sovereign’s soul origin shattered on the spot!

His weathering body lost its final trace of vitality, turning into a pile of black ash that scattered across the floor.

The Star Gold goblet, filled with nectar, hit the ground with a "clang" and shattered into pieces.

"Father—!"

Ling Yao finally snapped back to reality, letting out a heart-rending shriek, heavy with disbelief and boundless grief.

Within the Yaoguang Palace, all music, all laughter, and all conversation ceased in an instant.

Tens of thousands of guests, from the high-ranking Marquises to the worldly Domain Lords, stood frozen in place. Their faces were etched with panic, astonishment, and bewilderment.

The Sovereign had fallen.

Right before their eyes, at this grand wedding, just after the miracle had descended, the Sovereign of the Linglu Universe Kingdom had perished on the spot in the most bizarre and wretched manner!

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately, a massive wave of panic and confusion spread like a plague.

"Sovereign!"

The Second Elder, a man with hair and beard as white as snow, let out a cry of sorrow. Being the closest, he moved to examine the ashes on the floor.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the guest seating, unhurried and calm.

It was the First Elder.

A cold, cruel smile played upon his lips, utterly discordant with the surrounding atmosphere.

He did not even glance at the pile of ashes, as if they were not the colleague he had worked alongside for a million years, but merely a heap of inconsequential dust.

His movements were swift as lightning. Before anyone could react, he reached out and snatched the spatial ring that had fallen from the Sovereign’s hand, drawing it precisely into his palm.

"First Elder! You..."

The Second Elder, seeing this, was struck with shock and fury.

However, the First Elder ignored him entirely.

He flipped his hand to produce a pitch-black disc engraved with countless complex arrays, pouring his vast spiritual energy into it! "Hum—"

The entire Yaoguang Palace, along with the floating continent it rested upon, began to tremble violently!

Across the floors, walls, and dome of the great hall, countless hidden arrays were activated simultaneously.

Curtains of light, thick as mountain ranges, rose from every direction and descended from the heavens, sealing shut and interlocking.

In a heartbeat, a colossal spiritual cage, radiating the terrifying pressure of a Marquis-level power, had fully formed, trapping every guest in the hall, including Qin Feng, within its confines!

The mask was off!

"First Elder! What are you doing? Do you intend to commit treason!"

The Second Elder’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at him and demanded an answer.

"Heh."

The First Elder finally spoke, his voice hoarse and cold, filled with long-suppressed triumph. "Treason? No, I am merely reclaiming what should have been mine all along."

Holding the array disc, he channeled his spiritual energy.

Crack!

A violent bolt of lightning, thick as a barrel and shimmering with an ominous purple hue, condensed out of thin air at the dome of the array. With a destructive aura, it struck down precisely toward the Second Elder!

The Second Elder was horrified and hastily summoned his protective divine light, but compared to the First Elder, who controlled the core of the array, the gap in power was too vast.

Boom!

The purple lightning descended, shattering the protective light instantly.

The Second Elder let out a miserable scream, his body charred black, his bones shattered, collapsing like a pile of mud. He was stripped of all combat capability in an instant, his life hanging by a thread.

"Hmph! Noisy!"

The First Elder sneered contemptuously, his gaze sweeping the hall, filled with warning and threat.

This ruthless display of thunderous suppression silenced many guests who had intended to protest.

But not everyone present was a soft target!

"Insolent!"

A roar erupted like a thunderclap.

The Sovereign of Chiyu stood up abruptly, a terrifying pressure of an early-stage Marquis exploding forth like a primordial beast awakening!

His eyes were sharp as blades, locked firmly onto the First Elder.

"A mere First Elder of the Linglu Kingdom dares to commit such treason before us! You truly have a death wish!"

Simultaneously, the Sovereigns of other universe kingdoms present, along with over a dozen rogue Marquis-level cultivators, released their auras.

More than a dozen Marquis-level pressures intertwined. Though suppressed by the array, they still formed a terrifying force capable of shaking the heavens, crushing down upon the First Elder!

They knew clearly that if they allowed him to fully control the array, they would all become fish in a barrel!

They had to kill this traitor on the spot with thunderous force!

...

Linglu Universe Kingdom, Imperial Capital, Yaoguang Palace.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in this moment.

The newly ascended, sharp-edged Marquis aura of the Chiyu Sovereign swept through the hall like a raging inferno.

His eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent chilling. The pressure of a newly minted Marquis locked onto the First Elder, who stood betraying everyone with the array disc in hand.

Behind him, dozens of Domain Lord-level powerhouses from various kingdoms rose as well. They might not have been as brilliant as the Marquises, but the combined will of dozens of Domain Lords formed a torrent capable of tearing stars apart.

The entire Yaoguang Palace warped under the impact of this collective will, the spatial barriers emitting a groan of unbearable strain.

"Traitor to the kingdom, you shall be executed!"

The Chiyu Sovereign’s voice was like thunder, a crimson-gold war spear already in his hand.

At the tip of the spear, the Dao seal condensed into a point of extreme red light, as if it would pierce the void in the next instant, pinning the First Elder—and his triumphant face—to the pool of blood where the Sovereign had fallen!

A flicker of panic crossed the First Elder’s face.

He had calculated everything, yet he had underestimated the decisiveness and fury of a newly ascended Marquis.

Though he held the array, it was impossible to escape unscathed from the combined strike of a Marquis and dozens of Domain Lords!

However, the panic in his eyes lasted less than a thousandth of a second before being replaced by a more sinister, unbothered sneer.

He seemed to be waiting for something.

Just as the Chiyu Sovereign’s spear was about to be unleashed—

BOOM!!!

A terrifying aura, impossible to describe in words, descended without warning.

It did not come from any specific direction; it permeated from all sides, from the past and future, from the gaps between every fundamental particle, like the background radiation of the universe.

It was a torrent of will, filled with brutality, evil, greed, and endless malice.

It was bone-chillingly cold, instantly extinguishing the raging fury of the Chiyu Sovereign, making his blood feel as though it were freezing solid.

It was heavy as an abyss, pressing down on the dozens of Domain Lords who had risen in unison, making them sway as if an entire galaxy had been placed upon their souls, rendering even the movement of a finger an arduous task.

The entire Yaoguang Palace was plunged into a deathly silence in a heartbeat.

Every movement, every expression, and even the very thoughts of those present were forcibly frozen the instant this presence descended.

The clamor of debate, the gasps of shock, and the roars of fury were severed abruptly, as if a gargantuan, invisible hand had clamped down upon their throats.

The sky, under the gaze of every terrified soul, turned dark.

It was not the obscuration of storm clouds, nor a tempest of energy.

It was a "shrouding" from a higher dimension.

As if a curtain of infinite scale were being drawn slowly and irresistibly by the hand of an unseen deity or demon, blocking out all light and heat from this sector of the stars.

Starlight, nebulae, distant galaxies—all vanished, replaced by a pure, heart-stopping darkness.

Then, atop that endless dark firmament, a phantom of such gargantuan proportions that it defied the limits of imagination began to emerge.

It was a centipede.

A colossal centipede composed of countless segments of hideous, pallid bone.

Its length could not be measured in kilometers; it was measured in light-years.

Its massive body spanned the horizon, resembling a River Styx that cleaved life from death.

Each of its skeletal segments was etched with the agonizing runes of billions of souls at the moment of their passing; beneath each pair of its legs, it seemed to trample the shattered reflections of a twisting, wailing cosmic empire.

Tens of thousands of blood-red compound eyes opened slowly upon its terrifying head, each reflecting a civilization spiraling toward annihilation.

The mere existence of this phantom, and the pure malice and aura of death it radiated, caused countless guests of weaker cultivation within the palace to roll their eyes back and foam at the mouth, their souls unable to withstand the pressure, collapsing into unconsciousness on the spot.

"Keh... kehehe..."

Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of friction between bones, the gargantuan centipede phantom spanning the sky began to shrink rapidly.

Endless laws and energies collapsed inward, light and space warping violently around it, until, directly above the Yaoguang Palace, it materialized into a solid entity of bone, still hundreds of thousands of kilometers in length.

Its massive body coiled atop the light barrier of the imperial palace array, like a beast of myth suppressing the gates of hell.

Its dense cluster of compound eyes cast a cold, cruel gaze upon the beings below, who were, in its sight, no different from ants.

"Ha... hahahaha..."

A haughty, rasping laughter, as if produced by the grinding of countless skeletons, echoed through the heavens.

The laughter was filled with undisguised contempt and cruelty, causing the entire palace array to vibrate with a low hum.

"Great Elder, must you trouble me to act personally for such mere scraps, for a few fledglings who have only just learned to crawl? Your courage, it seems, grows smaller by the day."

As he spoke, the massive skeletal body twisted and morphed, finally coalescing into a humanoid form.

He wore a suit of pallid, osseous armor, each component fashioned from the polished skulls of formidable beings.

His face was gaunt, his eyes two eternal, flickering pits of sickly green soul-fire, and his entire being radiated a dense, inseparable aura of death and resentment.

The Evil Bone Marquis!

Lord of the Demon Race’s Heavenly Centipede Empire, the nightmare that had ruled the dark world of this vast star sector for millions of years, had finally descended!

His gaze, sharp as a physical blade, swept across the hall with disdain.

He saw the pale, enraged Sovereign of the Red Feather Empire.

He saw the dozens of Domain Lords, barely able to stand, their eyes filled with nothing but despair.

He saw the countless guests huddled in the corners, their will to resist utterly extinguished.

He was satisfied with the effect.

The Evil Bone Marquis relished the thrill of crushing hope and courage with nothing more than his name and his aura.

Yet, in his arrogance, the Evil Bone Marquis overlooked one place.

Or rather, his perception had been subconsciously "guided" away by a force far more profound and fundamental.

Within the hall, the auras of dozens of Domain Lords burned like torches, and the aura of the newly ascended Marquis, the Red Feather Sovereign, shone like a scorching sun; these intermingled energy fluctuations formed a chaotic zone of perception.

And Qin Feng sat at the very center of this chaos, upon the most prominent and exalted seat of honor.

The quality of his spiritual power was the legendary "Pure Black."

It was a quality that transcended all forms of energy, approaching the very essence of the "Dao."

It emitted no light, no heat, and radiated no energy fluctuations detectable by conventional means.

It was like an absolute "void," a singularity of the universe—profound, introverted, and consuming all probes and perceptions that drew near.

Unless the Evil Bone Marquis had focused his full attention on Qin Feng from the start, his perception would naturally be drawn to the more "conspicuous" energy sources in such a chaotic environment, thereby perfectly ignoring the young man in black who sat upon the throne, who had not risen once, and whose eyes had not flickered in the slightest.

Qin Feng’s concealment was too perfect.

So perfect that the Evil Bone Marquis did not even notice that the very entity he had once fled from in a desperate, frantic chase was sitting right there.

The deathly silence in Yaoguang Palace was broken by the sound of sharp intakes of breath, followed by an irrepressible trembling and gasping that rose from the depths of their souls.

A gargantuan terror, like a virus, spread wildly through the hearts of the guests, devouring their final vestiges of luck and hope.

A sovereign from a mid-tier cosmic empire, the color drained from his well-groomed face, his lips trembling so violently he could barely form coherent syllables:

"It... it is the 'Heavenly Centipede Lord'... the 'Evil Bone Marquis'! How... how could he be here? Is he not supposed to be in the 'Heavenly Centipede Empire,' thousands of star sectors away?"

Beside him, a veteran Domain Lord, his eyes already turned to ash, added in a voice of despair that sounded like a fever dream:

"It is over... we are all finished... The Heavenly Centipede Empire is the bridgehead for the Demon race in this sector, and the Evil Bone Marquis is the sharpest, most venomous dagger they have plunged into the heart of our human territory!"

"More than just a dagger..."

Another well-traveled interstellar merchant, shaking like a leaf, squeezed the words from his throat with all his remaining strength. "He is a top-tier intermediate Marquis who has been famous in this sector for millions of years! He has killed three peers of his own rank whose names are known to all! Not to mention the countless junior Marquises he has crushed like insects!"

"Three? The version I heard said five!"

"My god... a Marquis-level powerhouse is already a god-like existence in our eyes, and he has... he has slaughtered several of his own kind?"

This news struck the hearts of all present like a heavy hammer.

If a Domain Lord is a hegemon ruling a territory, then a Marquis is a truly great existence capable of traversing the cosmos, crowned with the title of "Immortal."

Each Marquis represents the foundation of a civilization.

Each Marquis is a High Lord-level existence!

And now, a monster who took pleasure in hunting his own kind stood before them!

The hand of the Red Feather Sovereign, gripping his battle spear, trembled slightly.

He had just ascended to the rank of Marquis, his spirit high, his confidence inflated to its peak.

But as he truly faced the abyss-like pressure of the Evil Bone Marquis, he realized that even among Marquises, the gap between them might be greater than that between the stars and the dust.

The mere fact that the opponent stood there, the fluctuations of his laws radiating outward, made him feel as if his own "Dao" were being suppressed, polluted, and assimilated!

An old man with white whiskers beside him gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "Rulers may bring order, but butchers bring only death. And this butcher has been wielding his blade here for millions of years!"

"The terror of the Evil Bone Marquis is a tangible reality! It is an iron-clad fact, built over millions of years upon the corpses and blood of countless powerhouses and civilizations in this sector!"

"My great-grandfather’s master was a junior Marquis. Three million years ago, simply because he bid against the Evil Bone Marquis at an interstellar auction, he was hunted down afterward. His entire sect, along with hundreds of billions of souls, was refined into a single 'Soul-Resentment Bead' overnight!"

"Hiss—"

This blood-drenched spectacle sent a shiver racing from the soles of every onlooker’s feet straight to the crown of their heads.

Ruthless and venomous!

A destroyer of nations, a butcher of cities!

To apply such terms to the Marquis of Evil Bone was not mere description, but a mundane recitation of his historical record.

He was ancient, savage, and his notoriety had endured for millions of years, a terrifying legend whispered to every living soul in this star field since birth.

Every strike he dealt was accompanied by rivers of blood and the lamentations of dying civilizations.

His horror was archaic yet immediate, a brand seared deep into the very souls of every native inhabitant.

When myth and nightmare descend simultaneously, people instinctively fear the tangible nightmare that has haunted their ancestors for generations.

A crushing dread completely enveloped them all.

They looked toward the silent youth in black at the head of the table, and the last flicker of hope in their eyes slowly extinguished.

In their view, even the legendary Lord Qin Feng, with his heaven-defying record, would likely face a grim fate today.

After all, he was merely a Domain Lord.

Yet he stood against a top-tier intermediate Marquis who had slaughtered many of his own rank and ravaged this star field for millions of years!

This banquet was, from the very beginning, a lethal trap laid specifically for Lord Qin Feng!

And they were all destined to be collateral damage, mere fuel for the Marquis of Evil Bone’s cultivation.

Despair, like the most potent poison, numbed their nerves and shattered their resolve.

Within the Yaoguang Hall, a deathly silence reigned.

Only the sycophantic laughter of the Great Elder and the cruel, rhythmic breathing of the Marquis of Evil Bone intertwined, composing a prelude to the end.

For this vast star sector, spanning over seven hundred human cosmic nations, the arrival of the new lord, the "Fierce God" Qin Feng, felt more like a sensational news item from the distant Central Empire.

Though his name and exploits had spread to every corner via the Heaven’s Pride Ranking and official channels, commanding awe and shock from local factions,

this reverence stemmed largely from fear of the "Human Sacred Academy"—the colossal machine behind him—and curiosity toward his mythic achievements.

He was, after all, a newcomer; his majesty had yet to be forged and verified by the blood of local powerhouses.

The Marquis of Evil Bone, however, was entirely different.

He was a living nightmare who had spent millions of years on this soil, personally slaughtering countless beings, extinguishing untold legacies and civilizations, and even slaying several peers to establish his bloody reign.

His reputation was not built on any list, but carved into the bones of every creature in this sector through millions of years of ceaseless slaughter and plunder.

Thus, when these two beings appeared together, for the vast majority of guests present, the tangible nightmare of a million years was far more real—and far more terrifying—than a distant myth newly descended.

(End of chapter)