Chapter 384: Ultimate Divine Emperor! Heading to the Cosmic Ocean! Top Expert!

Chapter 384: The Ultimate God-Emperor! Bound for the Cosmic Sea! A Supreme Powerhouse! The First Gate, the Boneyard!

Humanity’s Holy Academy, the Ultimate Dojo.

Beside a rustic stone table, Qin Feng and the Lord of the Ultimate had just concluded their discourse on the Dao.

In the air, the profound truths concerning "depth," "breadth," and "singularity" seemed to linger and echo, rendering this isolated pocket of space all the more solemn and heavy.

Qin Feng sat in stillness, eyes closed, like a statue of a god unmoved through the ages.

His consciousness was immersed in the grand information he had just acquired; in his mind, the "Endless Sea," the "Seventy-Two Divine Gates," the "Primordial Fire," and the four evil gods who had plotted for eons wove together a tapestry of the universe's end—one far more vast and perilous than he had ever imagined.

Previously, though he stood at the pinnacle of the Emperor-Seal realm and was recognized by the will of the universe as "invincible beneath the Saint," he had always sensed an indescribable, impenetrable barrier ahead.

Now, the words of the Lord of the Ultimate were like a lightning bolt tearing through the mist, illuminating the path forward.

The road to Sainthood was not merely an accumulation of power, but the ultimate perfection and sublimation of one's own "Dao."

His "Dao of the Ultimate," while possessing astonishing "depth" and "breadth," still lacked the final piece of the puzzle to achieve "singularity"—the [Primordial Object].

And this final opportunity lay within that ultimate realm known as the "Battlefield of Gods" and the "Graveyard of Myriad Races"—the Endless Sea.

After a long silence, Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes. In those pitch-black pupils, there was no confusion or fear, only an unprecedented calm and resolve.

"I understand."

His voice was as steady as a mountain. "The Endless Sea—I must go."

The Lord of the Ultimate nodded with a smile, unsurprised by this outcome.

If Qin Feng had shown even a hint of hesitation, he would not be the Qin Feng he knew, the man capable of forging the "Dao of the Ultimate."

"Since you have decided, I shall not belabor the dangers involved."

The Lord of the Ultimate raised a hand, his fingertips condensing a point of light that radiated an ancient, desolate aura. Within that light, a shifting star map seemed to dwell, countless specks of light floating and flickering in a complex dance.

"These are the safe coordinates and known intelligence for the [Seventy-Two Divine Gates] as surveyed by our human race."

The point of light drifted gently toward Qin Feng, hovering before his brow.

"Remember,"

The expression of the Lord of the Ultimate turned grave. "The Endless Sea and the universe we inhabit follow vastly different laws. It is a true 'lawless land' where the majesty of the universe's will is severely diminished, unable to form effective order or justice."

"There, the law of the jungle is not a hidden rule, but the only truth laid bare. All the fame you have accumulated—whether as first on the [Heavenly Pride Ranking] or the [Emperor-Seal Ranking]—means nothing in the Endless Sea. The beings there believe only in the power they see with their own eyes."

Qin Feng reached out a finger and lightly touched the light. In an instant, a torrent of information flooded his sea of consciousness. It was more than just a star map; it contained the experiences and warnings bought with the blood of countless human ancestors.

"My thanks, Senior."

Qin Feng branded all the information into the depths of his soul and spoke solemnly.

"Go."

The figure of the Lord of the Ultimate began to fade, his voice carrying a distant resonance. "During your absence, I shall personally oversee the human race and protect our kin. You need only focus, undistracted, on walking your own path. The future of humanity will ultimately be forged by you."

As the words fell, the figure of the Lord of the Ultimate vanished completely, leaving Qin Feng alone in the dojo.

He did not depart immediately, but returned to his palace at the heart of the Holy Academy.

As the supreme combat power and spiritual leader of humanity, his departure required careful arrangement.

Inside the palace, the Heaven-Reaching Sword Emperor, the Five Elements Emperor, and other human emperors he had rescued during the Eternal Mountain incident were already waiting.

When they saw Qin Feng, their faces were filled with heartfelt awe and reverence.

"Ultimate God-Emperor."

The group bowed in unison.

"There is no need for such formalities."

Qin Feng sat down calmly, his gaze sweeping over every emperor present. "I am about to embark on a long journey to a perilous place in search of the opportunity to break through to the Saint realm. I know not when I shall return; the daily defense and development of our race must be entrusted to you all."

At these words, the emperors were shocked.

"God-Emperor, you are already invincible beneath the Saint; what perilous place could possibly require your personal presence?"

The Heaven-Reaching Sword Emperor could not help but ask.

"Cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you do not advance, you retreat."

Qin Feng’s reply was concise, yet contained an unquestionable resolve.

He did not explain the existence of the Endless Sea in detail, for the fewer who knew of such secrets, the better, lest unnecessary panic ensue.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the entire palace was instantly flooded with endless divine light and the aura of treasures.

Mountain after mountain, piled high with divine metals, exotic materials, Emperor-grade secret treasures, and rare codices, appeared out of thin air within the hall, the energy fluctuations threatening to burst the very space asunder.

"This is..."

The Five Elements Emperor watched the treasure, which seemed to encompass all things in the universe, his breath hitching.

"This is the entire haul from the two thousand three hundred and seventeen Emperors of the myriad races I slew."

Qin Feng’s tone was as flat as if he were speaking of a trivial matter. "Most of it is useless to me, so I leave it all to the clan treasury as the foundation for humanity's development. How these resources are distributed shall be decided by your collective counsel."

The emperors were left speechless.

They knew Qin Feng’s victory had been glorious, but they had never imagined it would be on such a terrifying scale.

This was no longer just a fortune; it was a super-treasure capable of making any peak race green with envy, enough to spark a war of extinction!

With these resources, humanity would have no fear of scarcity for countless eras to come, and could even cultivate a staggering number of powerhouses.

"God-Emperor... this is an achievement for the ages!"

The Heaven-Reaching Sword Emperor’s voice trembled as he bowed deeply to Qin Feng on behalf of all the emperors.

This bow was for the human race, and for the future.

Qin Feng accepted it calmly; it was the due respect for his role as the "Guardian God."

Having settled all matters, Qin Feng’s figure transformed into a streak of light, quietly leaving the Human Holy Academy. There was no farewell ceremony, just as he had come—calm and low-key.

He alerted no one, piloting the [Oracle] alone toward the unknown frontiers of the universe.

The [Oracle] performed one ultra-long-distance jump after another through sub-space, each leap spanning tens of thousands of cosmic nations.

Qin Feng sat in the command chair on the bridge, eyes closed, repeatedly simulating and analyzing the star map from the Lord of the Ultimate within his mind.

As the [Oracle] delved deeper into the desolate fringes of the universe, Qin Feng could clearly feel the changes in the surrounding environment.

The once stable and orderly laws of the universe began to show signs of chaos.

Space became less "smooth," frequently manifesting tiny, harmless wrinkles and faults. The spiritual energy particles that had once permeated the universe, ready to be absorbed at any time, began to grow thin.

This change was like a car traveling on a smooth highway, gradually entering a bumpy, rugged dirt road.

The ship-spirit of the [Oracle] issued a warning:

"Warning: Abnormal spatial curvature detected ahead; conventional cosmic laws are failing."

"Warning: Ambient spiritual energy concentration has dropped to one percent of the standard universe and continues to decline."

"Warning: Unknown high-dimensional energy radiation detected; suggest activating highest-level energy shields."

Qin Feng opened his eyes and looked out the porthole.

The familiar cosmos, once defined by its profound, ink-black depths and adorned with brilliant constellations, had vanished.

In its place lay a chaotic, phantasmagoric expanse of mottled colors.

Colossal nebulae, composed of substances unknown, sprawled across the void like a palette overturned by a careless hand. Shattered remnants of planes drifted like ice floes in a frozen sea.

Great rifts in space, like jagged scars upon the universe, stretched across the horizon, perpetually exhaling storms of destructive energy.

This was the edge of the universe, the threshold to the Endless Sea.

Qin Feng did not hesitate. He piloted the Oracle himself, maneuvering like a nimble fish, threading with surgical precision between lethal spatial fissures and tempests of energy, plunging headlong into that more chaotic, primordial unknown.

The moment he crossed the boundary, a sensation entirely alien washed over him.

He perceived, with sharp clarity, that his connection to the universe had been severed by an invisible force.

As an Emperor-tier powerhouse, he had always existed in a delicate resonance with the cosmic origin, capable of summoning spiritual energy from the heavens at will, shifting the very stars with a single thought.

But here, that resonance was gone.

The cosmic spiritual energy was utterly exhausted.

He felt like a fish accustomed to the water, suddenly cast upon a parched and barren land.

Though his own internal reserves rendered the impact negligible, this fundamental shift at the level of natural law made him instantly grasp the true meaning of the Limitless Master’s words.

"Here, every expenditure is irreversible, unless..."

Qin Feng’s gaze deepened. "...there is another way to replenish."

The Oracle pressed on, its speed significantly reduced.

Navigation in this sector demanded a twelve-fold caution.

Soon, the sight ahead caused Qin Feng’s pupils to contract.

In a vast expanse of the void, a war of unimaginable scale was unfolding.

On one side stood a massive fleet of mechanical lifeforms, their bodies gleaming with metallic luster, their forms diverse and strange.

Each of their warships rivaled a star in size, and the energy beams erupting from their cannons were sufficient to vaporize an entire galaxy with ease.

Opposing them was a swarm of Zerg, mountain-sized creatures covered in verdant chitin, resembling locusts of the star-fields.

They were fearless, using their own bodies as weapons, flooding toward the mechanical fleet in a tide of flesh, their razor-sharp mandibles and claws rending the cold steel.

The brutality of the conflict surpassed anything Qin Feng had ever witnessed.

Every second, billions of Zerg were pulverized into cosmic dust by energy cannons, while hundreds of mechanical warships were swamped by the swarm, devoured into scrap.

Shattered planets, the wreckage of ships, and the corpses of warriors formed a death zone spanning several light-years.

This was no local skirmish between civilizations, but a war of extinction between two apex races, fought for the sake of survival and legacy. Here, there was no right or wrong, only existence or annihilation.

Qin Feng did not intervene; he hid the Oracle behind a fractured plane and watched in silence.

The war raged for months.

In the end, it concluded with a pyrrhic victory for the Machine Race. Though the Zerg were infinite in number, they faced total collapse before the Machine Race’s ultimate weapon, which triggered a catastrophic genetic breakdown.

When the final Zerg Matriarch was obliterated by the main cannon of the flagship, the war ended.

Yet, what followed truly allowed Qin Feng to understand the cruelty of the Endless Sea.

The victorious mechanical fleet did not depart; they dispersed to scour the battlefield.

They did not collect spoils of war, but the corpses of the fallen Zerg.

Countless small engineering drones emerged, dragging the mountain-sized carcasses back to the motherships.

Then, massive factory ships, resembling mobile furnaces, drifted out and opened their jagged maws.

The carcasses were fed into them, subjected to processes beyond Qin Feng’s comprehension, and ultimately refined into a pure, dark-green energy fluid shimmering with the luster of life.

This fluid was injected into the damaged warships and the bodies of the mechanical warriors.

Visible to the naked eye, the scars on the ships healed rapidly, and the depleted energy cores of the warriors were replenished.

They were... "feeding."

Furthermore, some of the mechanical fleet flew directly toward the Zerg homeworld—a massive planet already ravaged and riddled with holes by the war.

They dropped countless black, seed-like objects. These "seeds" took root, sprouting into colossal metallic tendrils that bored deep into the planetary core, greedily siphoning the world’s final essence and life force.

Within days, the once-vibrant planet was reduced to a dead, ash-gray husk of rock.

The mechanical fleet, having drained the planet’s source, seemed like beasts sated after a feast, their energy signatures pulsing even more powerfully than before the war.

They had "eaten" an entire race, along with their home, completely and without waste.

The entire process was efficient, cold, and devoid of emotion, as if it were nothing more than a routine resupply.

"So that is how it is..."

Qin Feng whispered to himself.

He finally understood: in the Endless Sea, there was no ambient cosmic energy. To replenish one's power or heal one's wounds, in the absence of rare treasures, only one path remained—to annihilate other beings and plunder everything they possessed.

Here, every living thing, every civilization, was merely a walking "resource."

The strong did not destroy a race out of hatred or for conquest, but simply to survive, to become stronger.

It was a mode of existence more naked and primitive than the Dark Forest law.

Qin Feng continued to pilot the Oracle toward the coordinates of the first "Divine Pass" marked on his star chart.

In the journey that followed, he witnessed more such scenes.

He saw a "Holy Spirit Race," composed of pure energy, being harvested in droves by a giant holding a massive net, much like a fisherman from myth.

Those beautiful spirits wailed silently in the net, only to be swallowed whole by the giant, becoming part of its divine form.

He saw a "Forest-Tongue Race," famous for their mastery of flora, who had transformed their homeworld into a gargantuan World Tree.

Yet, a passing star-beast, shaped like a dragon, descended simply out of hunger, uprooting the star-sized tree to chew and swallow it like a post-battle dessert.

The entire Forest-Tongue race, along with their civilization, vanished into the beast’s gullet.

He also saw a vast star sector that must have once housed an immensely powerful civilization, now reduced to endless ruins and debris.

Countless scavenger races, like vultures, hovered there, cautiously picking through the wreckage for the meager scraps left behind by their predecessors.

Chaos, slaughter, consumption... this was the daily routine of the Endless Sea.

Here, there were no eternal empires, only eternal apex races.

Only those standing at the very top of the food chain could survive for long in this cruel "hunting ground."

Qin Feng’s state of mind underwent a quiet transformation through these repeated sights.

His initial shock and discomfort were gradually replaced by a cold, icy calm. He began to understand and accept the rules of this place.

To survive here and seize the Primal Fire, he had to discard every notion he held from the order of civilization.

Here, mercy was the original sin, and weakness was a death sentence.

You were either the hunter, or the prey.

One day, the Oracle’s energy reserves dropped by nearly thirty percent due to the prolonged use of maximum-level shielding. The ship’s spirit issued a warning.

Qin Feng studied the star map, noting that the nearest supply point—a relatively stable black market established by a neutral merchant guild—was still decades of travel away.

At that very moment, the Oracle’s detection systems picked up an approaching fleet.

It was a formation of dozens of bone-wrought warships, their flagship flying a banner emblazoned with a three-eyed skull.

"The Three-Eyed Ghost Clan, a notorious predatory civilization in the Endless Sea, mid-tier in strength, known for devouring the souls of the living to augment their power."

The intelligence provided by the Lord of Extremity surfaced instantly in Qin Feng’s consciousness.

The fleet had clearly spotted the Oracle, a lone, unfamiliar vessel. In their eyes, a straggler was nothing more than a meal.

Without a word, the dozens of bone ships fanned out into a perimeter, their cannons glowing with a sickly green soul-fire as they locked onto the Oracle.

A mental wave, thick with greed and malice, swept over them:

"Outsider, surrender your ship, your possessions, and your soul, and we shall grant you a swift death!"

Facing this undisguised malice, Qin Feng’s expression remained unruffled.

He rose slowly from his command chair and issued a calm directive to the ship’s spirit:

"Cease movement, disengage engines."

With that, he vanished from the bridge.

A second later, to the astonishment of the Three-Eyed Ghosts, the Oracle’s hatch opened, and a single figure stepped out into the freezing void.

"Just one?"

"What is he doing? Surrendering?"

"Something is wrong, his aura... it is immense!"

The commander of the Three-Eyed Ghost fleet, a powerhouse at the peak of the King rank, sensed the danger immediately.

Qin Feng’s aura, restrained to the absolute limit yet pulsating with terrifying potential, made the commander’s very bones tremble.

But it was already too late.

Qin Feng lifted his gaze; his pitch-black pupils held no murderous intent, only a profound indifference.

He looked at them as if they were nothing more than inanimate "resources."

He slowly raised his right hand and pointed a single finger at the fleet that had surrounded him.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no cataclysmic surge of energy.

A seemingly insignificant grey light shot from his fingertip.

The Light of Extremity.

Wherever the light passed, the very concepts of time and space seemed to be "negated."

One bone warship, along with every Three-Eyed Ghost crew member inside, was silently "erased" from the level of causality, right before the eyes of the others.

It vanished entirely, as if it had never existed.

Then came the second, the third...

The grey light, like the quill of Death, traced a graceful arc through the void, connecting the surrounded Qin Feng to the fleet that sought to claim him.

Every ship touched by that arc dissolved into nothingness in an instant.

Terror!

An unprecedented fear seized the minds of every Three-Eyed Ghost.

"Flee! Run!"

"That is... Emperor-level! No! Something far more terrifying!"

"He is a monster!"

The commander in the flagship shrieked hysterically, driving the engines to their limit in a desperate attempt to escape the graveyard.

But Qin Feng’s Domain of Extremity had already enveloped the battlefield without them even noticing.

Space had become like solidified amber.

No matter how the bone ships’ engines groaned under the overload, they could not move an inch.

Qin Feng appeared before the flagship as if by teleportation.

He reached out and pressed his hand gently against the sturdy bone armor.

The next moment, the entire moon-sized warship, along with every living soul within, began to decompose at the level of their fundamental particles.

Flesh, bone, soul, steel—all tangible matter dissolved rapidly, transforming into pure, primal energy that flowed like streams into Qin Feng’s palm.

He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of the power.

"Impure, but... usable."

A moment later, the aggressive Three-Eyed Ghost fleet had vanished from the void, leaving only Qin Feng, floating in the silence.

The exertion had consumed roughly one ten-thousandth of his internal essence.

By devouring the fleet, he had not only replenished his reserves but had even made a slight advancement.

The Oracle drifted closer, opening its energy intake ports to absorb the ownerless energy, topping off its own reserves.

With the task complete, Qin Feng turned and returned to the Oracle.

The bridge was silent.

He sat back in his command chair, his expression unchanged, as if he had merely brushed away a bit of cosmic dust.

Yet, within him, the final transformation was complete.

He had fully adapted to the laws of this place.

"Calibrate the course,"

Qin Feng’s voice was colder than the void of the Endless Sea, "Target—the First Divine Pass, the 'Bone-Burial Ground'."

The Oracle restarted, its hull shimmering as it merged into the chaotic, dark expanse of the Endless Sea, continuing its lonely, blood-stained journey toward the Supreme Throne.

...

The Endless Sea knows no concept of time or space.

The Oracle, like an inconspicuous speck of dust, sailed alone through this bizarre, dead, and freezing "ocean."

Since the last "feeding," the ship’s energy reserves had been restored to capacity, and Qin Feng’s internal essence had seen a marginal improvement from consuming the Three-Eyed Ghost fleet.

He spent most of his time seated on the bridge, eyes closed, his mind wandering the vast void.

On one hand, he was continuously contemplating and deducing his own "Path of Extremity."

The surge in strength from refining the Divine Gold of Courage, combined with the insights gained from his discourse with the Lord of Extremity, required long periods of sedimentation and digestion.

Though his realm was at the late Emperor stage, his true combat power had long since transcended that category; every moment now brought him closer to the ethereal "Saint Realm."

On the other hand, he was adapting to the laws of the Endless Sea. These laws were simple and brutal, yet they were the closest to the origin of the Great Dao—"Existence" and "Extinction."

For a living being or a civilization to persist here, it must constantly plunder others to strengthen itself.

Otherwise, it would be treated as fodder by the stronger in this endless "Battle Royale," inevitably marching toward extinction.

Qin Feng was weaving this law into the tranquil, mirror-like stillness of his Daoist heart.

He did not seek to become a bloodthirsty demon, but rather to wield this rule as a tool, a means to achieve his ends with greater efficiency.

His goal remained singular and absolute: to seize the Primordial Fire and forge the supreme holy path.

For this objective, he could incarnate as a god to shelter humanity, or as a demon to slaughter all living things.

God and demon, good and evil—here, they were merely different paths to the same destination.

"Alert: High-energy signatures detected ahead. One hundred thirty-seven targets, pursuing a single entity at sub-light speed."

"Analyzing target energy signature... 99.8% match with human biological markers. Classification: Human."

The cold, electronic voice of the Oracle’s ship-spirit interrupted Qin Feng’s deep contemplation.

He slowly opened his eyes, his profound gaze seemingly capable of piercing through the endless reaches of space and time.

On the massive viewport of the bridge, a real-time three-dimensional star map was projected.

On the map, a faint light representing a human life-sign was fleeing in desperate haste.

Behind it, one hundred thirty-seven red dots, radiating malice and greed, closed in like sharks scenting blood, tightening their encirclement.

Qin Feng’s eyes fell upon that weak blue light.

Humanity.

In this Endless Sea where even peak races struggled to survive, to encounter his own kin was unexpected.

His face remained expressionless as he watched in silence.

Intelligence provided by the Lord of Extremity had mentioned that human ancestors had once ventured into the Endless Sea, even establishing secret outposts, but as time passed, most had lost contact, vanishing into the river of history.

The rare survivors lived lives of hiding, their existence precarious and fleeting.

"Engage deep-stealth mode. Approach for observation."

Qin Feng issued the command.

The hull of the Oracle rippled, then merged completely with the surrounding chaotic void, drifting silently toward the theater of the hunt.

In the void, Luo Cheng felt as if his lungs were filled with molten lava; every breath brought a heart-rending, agonizing pain.

His dark, mysterious armor was long since shattered, his body covered in deep, bone-exposing wounds. Golden blood seeped out, only to freeze into tiny crimson crystals the moment it touched the frigid void of the Endless Sea.

His essence was nearing exhaustion.

As a King-level powerhouse of the "Heavenly Flame" branch of humanity stranded in the Endless Sea, Luo Cheng had always taken pride in his bloodline and strength. Yet, three months ago, his clan’s outpost had been discovered by a vicious race known as the Soul-Eater Vultures.

A brutal war erupted.

Though the Heavenly Flame branch fought with all their might, they were like mantises trying to stop a chariot against the Soul-Eater Vultures, who boasted three quasi-emperor-level warriors.

The outpost was breached, his kin slaughtered, their flesh devoured, while their souls were harvested and consumed alive by those monsters as the finest of delicacies.

Luo Cheng was the sole survivor.

Bearing the hopes of his entire clan and the last spark of their heritage, he had fought his way out, beginning a three-month-long flight for survival in this Endless Sea.

But his pursuers were like maggots on a bone, never once relenting.

"Human, stop running!"

"Your soul smells so sweet!"

"Abandon your resistance, and the great 'Soul Ancestor' shall grant you eternal 'peace'!"

Spiritual waves laced with greed and mockery pierced like sharp steel needles into Luo Cheng’s already exhausted consciousness.

He glanced back.

Over a hundred massive monsters, resembling vultures but possessing three skeletal heads and wreathed in sickly green soul-fire, followed him at a leisurely pace.

They were in no hurry to kill him, like cats playing with a mouse, savoring the pleasure of their prey’s desperate struggle.

They were waiting—waiting for Luo Cheng’s essence to be fully depleted, for his will to utterly collapse.

For a soul born of despair and terror was, to them, the most exquisite of feasts.

"I cannot... fall into their hands..."

Luo Cheng ground his teeth, the blood spilling from his lips freezing instantly.

He knew the methods of the Soul-Eater Vultures better than anyone.

It was a torture ten thousand times worse than death; the soul would be repeatedly scorched and torn within the soul-fire until the very last drop of essence was drained.

His speed slowed further.

The world before him began to blur.

The King-Core within him, long since dimmed, emitted a mournful wail, signaling its imminent collapse.

"Is this where it ends..."

A profound sorrow and unwillingness welled up in Luo Cheng’s heart.

He had not yet found a new sanctuary for his branch of humanity; he had not yet passed on the spark of their heritage.

"So be it..."

A flash of resolve crossed his eyes.

Rather than be humiliated and tortured by these monsters, he would preserve the final dignity of humanity.

He ceased his flight and turned to face the approaching swarm.

He began to frantically catalyze the last shred of essence within his body, preparing to detonate himself and drag his pursuers into oblivion.

Even if he could not kill them, he would make them understand that a King of humanity would never submit!

Seeing Luo Cheng stop, the flock of vultures emitted a harsh, metallic cackle.

"Oh? Giving up?"

"Finally come to your senses? A wise choice!"

The leader, a vulture a size larger than the rest, its soul-fire burning a deep, murky green, possessed power that had reached the quasi-emperor level.

The soul-fire in its three skeletal eye sockets danced with excitement at the impending feast.

"Human, as a reward for the delicious meal you are about to offer us, I, 'Soul-Three,' shall grant you one final wish," it declared with condescending arrogance.

Luo Cheng’s body began to swell from the over-compressed energy, radiating an extremely dangerous aura.

He ignored the mockery, staring fixedly at them, ready to ignite the final light and heat of his life.

Yet, in that moment of high tension, as everything was about to reach its end, a figure appeared between Luo Cheng and the swarm without a sound.

It was a man who looked entirely ordinary, with black hair and eyes, dressed in a simple black robe, his face devoid of expression.

He stood there quietly, as if he had existed in that spot since the dawn of time.

Time seemed to freeze.

Luo Cheng’s essence, on the verge of detonation, was forcibly suppressed by an invisible, irresistible force. He realized with horror that he could not even move a single finger.

The mocking cackles of the Soul-Eater Vulture flock abruptly died away.

Every gaze was now fixed upon this mysterious figure who had suddenly appeared.

"Who are you?"

"Where did this insect crawl from? How dare you interfere in the affairs of the Soul-Eater Vultures?"

After a brief moment of shock, the flock erupted into furious screeches. To them, this sudden human interloper was an intolerable provocation of their majesty.

The quasi-emperor leader, 'Soul-Three,' saw its dark green soul-fire flare violently, radiating a terrifying spiritual pressure that bore down upon the man in black.

"No matter who you are, since you have come, leave your soul behind as well!"

Yet, that pressure—enough to shatter the spirit of an ordinary king-level powerhouse instantly—vanished without a sound, like a stone dropped into an endless sea, the moment it touched the three-foot radius around the man.

The man’s expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.

He did not even glance at the clamoring vultures, but instead cast a detached gaze toward the stunned clansman behind them.

"Are you of the human race?"

He spoke, his voice low, yet it resonated with absolute clarity in Luo Cheng’s ears. It was a tone of profound indifference, devoid of emotion, yet heavy with an irresistible authority.

Luo Cheng nodded instinctively, though he could not utter a sound while held in stasis.

Receiving the affirmation, the man in black gave a slight nod, as if merely confirming a triviality.

Then, he finally turned his attention to the hundred-plus Soul-Eater Vultures.

What a look that was.

No anger, no murderous intent, not even contempt.

It was the look of a biologist observing microbes in a petri dish.

It was the look of a farmer surveying crops ready for the harvest.

Cold, indifferent, viewing all things as mere straw dogs.

"Noisy."

His thin lips parted, and he uttered the single word.

The next moment, a scene that would haunt Luo Cheng and the vultures for eternity unfolded.

The man in black slowly raised his right hand.

With his movement, the very laws of this void were forcibly rewritten.

Space was no longer space, but a cage of absolute, transparent stillness.

Time ceased its flow, frozen in this singular instant.

[Limit Domain].

"What is happening? I cannot move!"

"My soul-fire... it has extinguished?"

"What power is this! An emperor? No! Even an emperor could not..."

Terror, like an endless abyss, instantly swallowed the will of every vulture. They realized that their prideful soul attacks and their indestructible bodies were utterly meaningless in this moment.

They had become figures in a painting; save for their ability to think, everything else had been stripped away.

The only one capable of motion was the man in black.

He extended a finger and pointed it into the void toward the arrogant quasi-emperor leader, 'Soul-Three.'

There was no divine light, no surge of energy.

It was a gesture of utter simplicity.

And then, the massive form of 'Soul-Three' began a silent "decomposition" at the level of its fundamental particles.

Its flesh, its bones, and even its soul dissolved into the purest primordial energy, flowing like dark green streams toward the man's fingertip, eventually vanishing into his body.

Throughout the process, 'Soul-Three' could not even emit a scream.

It could only watch, filled with infinite fear and confusion, as it was "erased" bit by bit.

A quasi-emperor had vanished from this universe, silently and completely.

Having finished, the man in black gently closed his palm.

"Pop... pop, pop, pop..."

A series of light sounds, like glass shattering, echoed in rapid succession.

The remaining one hundred and thirty-six vultures were crushed into dust by an invisible hand. They followed their leader into oblivion, fully decomposed into torrents of pure energy that surged toward the god-like figure at the center of the void.

The entire process took less than three breaths.

The Soul-Eater Vulture flock that had just been so invincible, driving Luo Cheng to the brink of death, was utterly annihilated.

Not a trace remained.

The void returned to a deathly silence, as if nothing had ever occurred.

Only Luo Cheng remained, suspended like a wooden statue, his mind a blank slate.

What had he just witnessed?

A miracle?

No, even gods could not erase a quasi-emperor and a hundred king-level powerhouses with such casual ease.

That was not a battle; that was a... cleaning.

Just as a mortal might brush dust from a sleeve—careless, and entirely natural.

Only when the power binding him dissipated did Luo Cheng snap back to reality, his body trembling uncontrollably from the sheer shock and lingering fear.

He looked at the man in black.

The stranger remained suspended in the void, eyes closed, as if savoring the energy he had just "consumed."

After a long while, he reopened his eyes and looked at Luo Cheng.

Under that indifferent gaze, Luo Cheng felt his very soul shudder. It was an absolute suppression of life hierarchy, like an ant looking up at the heavens.

He did not doubt that with a single thought, he would vanish just as silently as the vultures had.

"Th-thank you, Senior... for saving my life!"

Luo Cheng suppressed the raging storm within his heart and bowed deeply to the man with all his remaining strength. His voice was hoarse and dry, strained by agitation and awe.

The man in black did not speak, merely watching him as if evaluating something.

This silence placed a crushing weight upon Luo Cheng. He did not know for what purpose this unfathomable clansman had saved him.

In the Endless Sea, there was no such thing as unmotivated kindness.

Perhaps... he was merely "emergency rations" left behind for later?

As this thought surfaced, it cast a shadow over the hope that had just begun to bloom.

"Your wounds are severe."

At long last, the man in black spoke. With a flick of his finger, a droplet of liquid, shimmering with a brilliant golden radiance and brimming with vast, surging vitality, drifted before Luo Cheng.

"Consume it."

Luo Cheng gazed at the droplet, sensing the ocean-like essence of life contained within. This was, without question, a treasure of healing at the Imperial, perhaps even Saint, level!

Without a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed it.

As the liquid slid down his throat, it transformed into a warm torrent, scouring his limbs and bones. His crumbling essence, his parched meridians, and his shattered flesh began to mend at an incredible, lightning-fast pace.

In a mere dozen breaths, the wounds upon his body had largely vanished. More than that, he felt his essence had become even more refined than it was before he had been injured.

Such miraculous efficacy was unheard of!

The awe in Luo Cheng’s heart reached its zenith. He bowed once more, deeper than before.

"For this gift of rebirth, I, Luo Cheng, shall never forget your kindness!"

He stated his name with solemn gravity.

The man in black remained as calm as ever, as if he had performed a task of no consequence.

"Why are you here, hunted by the alien races?"

He asked.

A flicker of grief crossed Luo Cheng’s eyes as he briefly recounted the tragedy that had befallen his Tianyan branch.

After listening, the man in black remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "In the Endless Sea, weakness is the original sin. To survive, one must become strong."

These words struck Luo Cheng’s heart like a heavy hammer. He understood this to be an absolute truth. Had the Tianyan branch not been weak, they would not have invited such genocidal ruin. Had he not been feeble, he would not have been reduced to a desperate, fleeing fugitive.

"I... have been taught,"

Luo Cheng lowered his head, his expression desolate.

"Since you are of the human race, my saving you serves to fulfill the bond of our kin."

The man in black shifted his tone, his voice remaining indifferent. "Now that this is settled, you must fend for yourself."

With that, he prepared to turn and leave.

To him, this intervention was merely an incidental "supply run," a casual rescue of a fellow tribesman. He had no interest in probing the other's past, nor any obligation to be responsible for his future.

His goal was solely the "Burial Ground" ahead.

"Senior, please wait!"

Seeing him about to depart, Luo Cheng felt a surge of panic and blurted out the words.

This senior’s strength was unfathomable, the greatest he had ever witnessed. In the treacherous Endless Sea, if he could follow such a powerhouse—even as a mere servant—it would be far safer than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly.

More importantly, he harbored a faint, lingering suspicion that this man might... might be connected to that legendary figure.

"I have no way to repay your great kindness. I have wandered the Endless Sea for years and am familiar with the surrounding star sectors; I am willing to serve as your guide, to act as your beast of burden, and I shall not complain!"

Luo Cheng lowered his posture, his tone profoundly sincere.

The man in black stopped, yet did not turn back.

"I have no need for a guide."

"Then... then..." Luo Cheng faltered. He knew that such a powerhouse must possess his own star charts and truly had no need for a burden like him.

Yet, he could not bear to abandon this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Summoning the greatest courage of his life, he asked with a trembling voice:

"I... I dare to ask, may I know your honorable name?"

He asked this with extreme caution, filled with trepidation.

In the void, there was silence.

Just as Luo Cheng thought he would receive no answer and prepared to depart in sorrow, that indifferent voice finally sounded once more.

"Qin Feng."

The two simple words were like twin claps of creation-shaking thunder, exploding within Luo Cheng’s mind!

Qin Feng...

Qin Feng!

The name was not unfamiliar to him!

Though information exchange between the Endless Sea and the Main Universe was arduous, news would occasionally trickle in through various channels.

Especially in the last few million years, one name had risen like a comet, repeatedly mentioned by those who had narrowly escaped the Main Universe to seek refuge in the Endless Sea.

The Ultimate God Marquis!

The Ultimate God King!

The Ultimate God Emperor!

The man who, by his own strength, stirred the winds and clouds of the entire universe, topping the [Heavenly Pride Ranking], then the [Marquis Ranking], only to "fall" under the siege of countless powerhouses, yet "return from the dead" ten thousand years later to slay the Golden Emperor and top the [Heavenly Pride Ranking] once more... the eternal first myth of the human race!

The peerless fiend who, not long ago outside the Eternal Mountain, slaughtered two thousand three hundred and seventeen Emperors of the myriad races with his own hands, and was personally certified by the Will of the Universe as "Invincible beneath the Saint"!

It was him!

It was actually him!

Luo Cheng felt a jolt of electricity surge from his tailbone to his crown; his blood boiled in an instant, only to freeze the next.

The expression on his face underwent a complex series of changes in a single second—shock, stupor, ecstasy, disbelief—finally settling into a state of boundless fanaticism and reverence.

No wonder... no wonder he could so easily erase a Quasi-Emperor!

No wonder... he could single-handedly annihilate an entire Soul-Devouring Vulture fleet!

So, standing before him was not merely some senior expert, but the highest faith of the human race today—a living monument that suppressed the ages and made the myriad races tremble!

He was the only spiritual sustenance for those of them who were lost and struggling in the darkness!

"Thump!"

Luo Cheng could no longer suppress the agitation in his heart; his knees went weak, and there in the cold void, he knelt straight down before the back of Qin Feng.

This had nothing to do with dignity; it was a submission from the depths of his bloodline, the highest homage to the leader of his race.

"So it is... the God Emperor himself!"

"Luo Cheng, thirty-seventh generation descendant of the human Tianyan branch, pays respects to... the Ultimate God Emperor!"

His voice trembled violently with extreme agitation, every word filled with gratitude and awe from the depths of his soul.

"God Emperor, you are... you are alive! You have come to the Endless Sea! Wonderful... this is truly wonderful!"

In this moment, he was incoherent with excitement, tears of heat streaming down his face.

He felt like an orphan who had wandered in the darkness for a million years, finally seeing his kin and finding the towering pillar of support that could shelter him from the wind and rain.

All his grievances, all his suffering, all his despair, vanished into smoke at this moment.

Because he knew.

From this day forth, they, the humans lost in the Endless Sea, were no longer rootless duckweed.

Their God had arrived.

(End of this chapter)