Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 149 Reactions from all parties
However, despite the extraordinary talent of the Xuan Gu Giant, it did not suffer the same concentrated targeting from various races as Ling Xuan.

Xuan Gu's clone relies on pure talent to establish itself, and what's even more special is that it has no soul.

Therefore, unless we can lure him into a special environment to kill him and then use the rules of the universe to make him completely unable to revive, there is no effective way to deal with him.

In contrast, the various races naturally preferred to focus their efforts on dealing with Ling Xuan.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Hongmeng Hall was heavy, as the hall masters had to gather again to discuss countermeasures due to the momentous event of Venerable Xuangu joining the Zerg Alliance.

It's important to understand that this matter not only involves a powerful individual with the combat strength of a universe master, but also concerns the Ancestral Mystic Realm—a crucial strategic location in the universe that all races value highly, and they dare not underestimate it in the slightest.

Ling Xuan, at this moment, is participating in such a high-level meeting for the first time as the master of the Void Blade.

“Chaos, our Hong Alliance has already been targeted by various forces within the Ancestral God Sect. Now, things are even worse. A powerful figure comparable to a Universe Lord has actually joined the hostile Zerg Alliance. This situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for our Hong Alliance.” A alien Universe Lord couldn’t help but speak, his tone full of anxiety, complaining to the human ruler, the Chaos City Lord.

"What's the panic?" Zhou Heng's clone spoke first, his tone somewhat dismissive. "He's just a Xuan Gu Venerable, nothing to worry about."

"Lord of the Void Blade, as a special life form, you naturally don't care about such things. After all, you don't have any clansmen cultivating in the Ancestral God Sect, so you won't be affected by this situation," the Lord of the Universe immediately retorted, his tone clearly showing dissatisfaction.

"Zhenma, stop saying things that are detrimental to unity," Lord Huangjian said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing that the Lord of Huangjian had spoken, the Lord of Zhenma immediately shut his mouth and dared not utter another word.

It's important to understand that the Lord of the Wilderness is quite different from the Lord of Chaos City, who is known for his balanced and peaceful personality, much like a steward. He has a very strong personality, and if you dare to contradict him, you'll definitely be met with a harsh rebuke, leaving you in an awkward position.

“Shadow Lord, you’re in charge of the Hongmeng’s intelligence department, so you know this best. Why don’t you explain the situation to everyone?” another Universe Lord said, turning his gaze to the Shadow Lord in the corner.

The inconspicuous Shadow Monarch, who was sitting in the corner, stood up upon hearing this and said solemnly, "This was indeed my mistake. I did not anticipate that the Zerg would take such action. I am willing to take full responsibility."

Seeing that another honest person was about to be targeted, Ling Xuan had to speak up again to defuse the situation: "Everyone, who would have thought that the Zerg would offer such a price for a top-tier treasure set? Think about it, a treasure whose value is comparable to a peak treasure, and which is also extremely compatible with oneself, wouldn't any of us be tempted?"

As soon as Ling Xuan said this, the hall fell silent.

It's not that they would betray humanity if the Zerg Alliance offered the price of a top-tier treasure. Rather, from another perspective, for a top-tier cosmic overlord who has no allegiance, it's unlikely anyone could remain unmoved by such a high price.

"Besides, nobody can understand why the Zerg Queen would ask for such a high price. The high-grade treasure set offered by our Hong Alliance is already quite sincere and not cheap," Ling Xuan continued.

In fact, if Ling Xuan hadn't performed so exceptionally well, and if the demon race hadn't produced another Bi Fa King, and with two of the strongest beings in the universe already on their side, and a new Changjiu Lord had recently been appointed, their power would have grown stronger and put more and more pressure on the insect race. The insect race queen wouldn't have been so eager to win over a genius who could rival these two.

The Shadow Lord glanced gratefully at the Void Blade Master who had come to his rescue, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The Lord of the Wilderness and other human universe lords also appreciated the Lord of the Void Blade's words and nodded to themselves—this was a true alien race that genuinely followed humanity, unlike some guys who were always protected by humans but only complained at times like this, showing no sense of responsibility.

Ta da~

The Chaos City Lord, seated at the head of the table, gently tapped the table, the steady sound instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"The most urgent task now is not to assign blame, but to think carefully about how to deal with this matter." The Chaos City Lord's voice was calm but carried an undeniable power.

"At worst, we can just avoid provoking the Zerg in the future. How many Zerg are there? The Ancestral Mystic Realm is so vast, there are plenty of places to explore, there's no need to clash with them," Herodo suggested after a moment's thought.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to do that,” Ling Xuan retorted directly. “That Xuan Gu Venerable has the combat power of a Universe Lord. We can just treat him as a Universe Lord, respect him, and treat him with respect. That way, he will have no reason to attack the immortals and Universe Venerables of the Hong Alliance at will. As long as we don’t deliberately target the Zerg, then the Xuan Gu Venerable will naturally have no excuse to attack.”

"Otherwise, we could also legitimately and wantonly attack the Zerg's immortals and cosmic venerables. You must know that the Zerg are ultimately a minority in the Ancestral God Cult. If they dare to act recklessly in the Ancestral God Cult, then they can't blame us for being impolite in other places."

Ling Xuan's words immediately resonated with some of the powerful figures. One of them said, "That makes sense. The opponent is no longer at a level that those inheritors can compare to. We can no longer kill the weak at will like before, otherwise our Hong Alliance will not be so easily defeated. He killed so many of our Hong Alliance's powerful figures in his battle with that Cold Whale. We haven't settled that score with him yet."

Ling Xuan knew that the Zerg would also take note of this and would actively restrict Xuan Gu Venerable from attacking other powerful figures.

After all, the greatest significance of Venerable Xuangu in the Ancestral God Cult lies in his ability to protect other Zerg Queens, rather than actively provoking conflicts.

Similar meetings were also being held simultaneously among various major forces, including the demon race and the mechanical race.

However, unlike the Hongmeng side, both the Chaos City Lord who held power and Ling Xuan who participated in the meeting as the Lord of the Void Blade knew the true identity of the Xuan Gu clone, so they were able to remain calm and analyze the interests involved clearly.

Other forces, whether the machine race known for its composure or the wild demon race, took the matter very seriously and argued endlessly, but ultimately failed to come up with any effective countermeasures.

In the end, the two races had no choice but to promise that if the Xuan Gu Venerable went on a killing spree in the Ancestral Mystic Realm, they would send their Universe Lords to negotiate, and even risk fighting with him.

……

The Xuan Gu avatar, who was in the Ancestral Mystic Realm, suddenly felt the Ancestral God Token in his hand tremble slightly, and a piece of text appeared on it: "Come to the Ancestral God Palace immediately."

“Linglong, the Ancestral God summons me. I’ll be leaving for a while.” Xuan Gu’s clone turned to Linglong Venerable beside him and said, his voice, made of rock, was somewhat dull.

Linglong Venerable was leaning on the instep of Xuangu's clone. When she heard this, her eyes met his gaze before her voice.

She wore a moon-white gauze dress today, with the neckline loosely draped over her shoulder, revealing half of her fair skin, which looked as if it were covered in honey in the sunlight.

"Xuan Gu, go ahead." Her voice was soft and sweet, with a slight upward inflection at the end, carrying an unintentional allure.

After saying that, she slowly stood up. As her skirt slid down the rocks, it outlined her slender waist and rounded hips. As she walked, a glimpse of white skin flashed through the slit of her skirt, as fleeting as startled moonlight.

“Remember, the Zerg will always stand behind you.” She raised her hand and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her fingertips lightly brushing her chin, leaving a faint fragrance. “The Ancestral Gods are just trying to win you over. The Ancestral Gods have always been neutral and will not interfere in the conflicts between races, nor will they target any particular race.”

She took two steps closer, her eyes gleaming with a subtle light: "Besides... who would bear to get angry at a powerful being like you, Xuan Gu?" Xuan Gu's clone felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but fortunately, being a rock life form, it didn't show any signs of discomfort on the surface: "Hmm, I understand."

“By the way,” Venerable Linglong suddenly stood on tiptoe, a sly glint in her eyes, “Do you have a divine token on Purple Thorn Island? If not, I’ll send you there.”

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Xuan Gu's clone nodded in agreement.

He does possess a divine artifact on Purple Thorn Island, located in his private palace. However, activating the divine kingdom teleportation from there would inevitably expose his connection with Ling Xuan—it would be safer to use Linglong's teleportation.

"But you'll have to shrink a bit first," Venerable Linglong said with a coquettish smile. "My palace is only one kilometer long and wide, it can't fit your huge size of over three million kilometers."

"Alright." Xuan Gu's clone shrank in response, and the massive rock body receded like a tide. The towering figure, spanning three million kilometers, rapidly collapsed, eventually transforming into a small stone figure about ten meters tall, with faint divine light still lingering between the rock's texture.

“Xuan Gu, you’re quite adorable like this.” Venerable Linglong couldn’t help but reach out and gently poke his arm with her fingertips. The touch was hard yet had the unique smoothness of cool stone.

Xuan Gu's clone scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. "Linglong, let's set off quickly."

"Alright, let's go." Venerable Linglong smiled and opened her arms. A spatial ripple spread around her, and the Divine Kingdom passage took shape in the blink of an eye. She and her Xuan Gu clone disappeared from the spot in an instant.

The aura of divine transmission dissipated, and the two were already standing inside an exquisite palace on Purple Thorn Island.

Xuan Gu's clone stepped out of the palace gate, his body suddenly stretched out, and he returned to his giant form, which was three million kilometers tall. His stone skin gleamed with a calm luster in the glow of Zijing Island.

As soon as he landed, a dazzling aurora descended from the sky, transforming into a rainbow bridge beneath his feet. The other end of the bridge led directly to the floating Ancestral God Palace in the center of the Five-Colored Aurora Lake, and the shimmering bridge reflected on the lake's surface, creating colorful ripples.

Xuan Gu's clone stepped onto the rainbow bridge, each step stirring up tiny particles of light.

After taking only a few steps, I felt the surrounding space violently distort, as if I had been thrown into a whirlpool of water. The next second, the rainbow bridge under my feet had transformed into a white jade square in front of the palace—the magnificent Ancestral God Palace was right in front of me.

This was his second time entering the Ancestral God Palace. The several cosmic venerables guarding the palace had clearly given prior instructions. Upon seeing the three-hundred-kilometer-tall rock giant approach, they all bowed in unison. One of them stepped forward, placed his hands on the heavy palace door, and slowly pushed it open. The bronze door scraped against the ground, emitting a dull thud, as if opening a long-sealed chapter of history.

As I entered the Ancestral God Palace, the familiar power of spatial teleportation enveloped me, and the next second, the Xuan Gu clone appeared in the center of the hall.

Unlike last time, this time the three ancestral gods were all seated on the temple: the central double-faced ancestral god was majestic on one side and gentle on the other, the elderly ancestral god on the left had white hair and beard, and the young ancestral god on the right had sharp eyes like an eagle.

"Xuan Gu has arrived." The two-faced ancestral god in the center spoke first, his gentle side revealing a smile, his voice echoing like a great bell in the hall.

"Greetings, Ancestral God." Xuan Gu's avatar bowed respectfully, the rock joints clanging together with a crisp sound.

"I heard you've joined the Zerg Alliance?" The elderly ancestral god on the left stroked his long beard and asked first, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

“Yes.” Xuan Gu’s clone straightened up and admitted frankly, “The Zerg are sincere and get along well with me.”

The elderly Ancestral God nodded, his gaze sweeping across the man's rock-like face: "Logically speaking, you are merely an outer member of the Ancestral God Cult, and we have no right to interfere with your joining any faction."

He paused, then changed the subject slightly, "However... although the Ancestral God Cult does not restrict the affiliation of its members, it still needs to know whether you will betray the Ancestral God Cult by joining the Zerg?"

This wasn't meant to persuade Xuan Gu's clone to withdraw from the Zerg Alliance, but rather to express concern that the other party might gradually distance itself from the Ancestral God Cult.

Xuan Gu's avatar lowered his eyes and said, "I owe my current status to the protection of the Ancestral God Sect. The Ancestral God Sect's Mystic Realm is a treasure trove for cultivation, and I have no reason to leave it. Moreover, the Insect Race and the Ancestral God Sect have no conflict, so I can benefit from being on both sides."

“Alright.” The young Ancestral God on the right suddenly spoke up, “The Ancestral God Sect will not force you to leave the Zerg Alliance. It’s just that your strength is special—overwhelming the inheritors of various races with the combat power of a universe master, which may disrupt the balance of the secret realm.”

His gaze was sharp as a knife. "From now on, I hope you will not easily attack other inheritors unless they provoke you."

“This junior understands,” Xuan Gu’s clone replied. “If I hadn’t offended him, this junior would never have taken the initiative to attack.”

Upon seeing this, the gentler side of the dual-faced Ancestral God in the center revealed an approving expression: "It's good that you have such magnanimity. As a member of the Ancestral God Cult and possessing such strength, we, representing the Ancestral God Cult, should naturally make a gesture."

He raised his hand, and a miniature palace appeared in his palm. The palaces and pavilions were all made of crystal and jade, and faint spatial fluctuations lingered on the eaves. "This 'Star-Suppressing Palace' is a top-tier palace-type treasure. With this treasure, you can survive in the Primordial Universe. Even the strongest beings in the universe cannot do anything to you. I will give it to you as compensation from the Ancestral God Sect."

The three Ancestral Gods breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Their biggest worry was that after Venerable Xuan Gu joined the Zerg, he would unscrupulously bully other inheritors under the Zerg's instigation.

At that time, the powerful figures from other major forces will definitely come to the Ancestral God Sect to put pressure on them. Faced with the alliance of various races in the universe, they still need to be cautious.

Most importantly, the human Ling Xuan is currently rising rapidly and is among those they are trying to win over and cultivate.

Cultivating more powerful beings for the primordial universe is also one of the responsibilities of their Ancestral God Cult.

Moreover, by getting closer to Ling Xuan and bringing him into the peripheral organization of the Ancestral God Sect, the sect's power can be strengthened.

Their biggest worry was that the Xuan Gu Venerable, who had joined the Zerg, would be assigned by the Zerg to kill Ling Xuan in the secret realm.

The treasure floated and flew towards the Xuan Gu clone.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Ancestral God." Xuan Gu's clone accepted the gift with both hands and bowed solemnly.

The elderly ancestral god waved his hand: "Go. From now on, take care of yourself in the secret realm."

Xuan Gu's clone bowed again, then turned and left the main hall.

(End of this chapter)