Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 156 Honorific Title
"Mengcha, isn't all of this your own fault, the demon race?" The Chaos City Lord spoke on behalf of humanity, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Your demon race planned to ambush Ling Xuan, only to be killed by him instead. Isn't that your own doing?"

"Chaos, no matter what, Ling Xuan is unharmed, but my demon race has lost a cosmic lord. It's always my demon race that suffers." The Dream Demon Ancestor clung to the fall of the Nether Demon Lord, bargaining with a forceful tone, his huge snake eyes flashing with calculating light.

"Hahaha, Mengcha, after all these years, you're still as shameless as ever." A hearty laugh echoed through the void, and a crimson figure stepped through the air—it was none other than the Candle Dragon King.

"Teacher." Ling Xuan bowed respectfully to the Candle Dragon King.

"Where did this nobody come from, daring to call me by my name?" The Dream Demon Ancestor glanced at the Candle Dragon King, then disdainfully looked away as if he had seen something dirty, his tone full of arrogance.

The Candle Dragon King stood behind Ling Xuan, seemingly unintentionally, and said leisurely, "Meng Cha, you really are forgetful. Back then..."

"Shut up!" Dream Demon Ancestor suddenly shouted sharply as if in response, a cold white light shooting out from his snake eyes, carrying a sharp killing intent as he struck towards Candle Dragon King.

Upon seeing this, the Candle Dragon King shrank back and hid behind Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan smiled faintly and waved his hand, his supreme divine power transforming into an invisible barrier that easily neutralized the Dream Demon Ancestor's attack. The white light struck the barrier and instantly disintegrated into specks of light.

"Mengcha, why did you turn on your old acquaintance the moment you met him?" Zhulong King poked his head out again, his tone laced with provocation.

"You old codger, I let you escape a calamity back then, and instead of staying in the human race and living a life of ease, you dare to come out and swagger around?" The Dream Demon Ancestor glared at the Candle Dragon King, his voice full of resentment.

"Hahaha, Mengcha, I just came over to say hello to an old friend," Zhulong King laughed, completely unconcerned about Meng Yaozu's anger.

"Hmph!" Dream Demon Ancestor snorted coldly, "You, a mere King-level Immortal, are not qualified to speak to me."

"You really are heartless. Back in the day..." The Candle Dragon King brought up the past again, as if he really had some kind of relationship with the Dream Demon Ancestor back then, deliberately dragging out his tone.

"Shut up, Zhulong, shut up!" The Dream Demon Ancestor roared in fury, his cold snake eyes filled with murderous intent.

But Lingxuan stood in its way, and it was helpless.

The brief exchange just now was enough for the strongest beings in the universe to exchange hundreds of millions of blows, and they gained a general understanding of each other's strength.

The Dream Demon Ancestor knew that it was absolutely powerless against Ling Xuan in the primordial universe. However, since Ling Xuan had killed the Lord of the Netherworld and humans had imprisoned the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf, it could not let the matter rest. At the very least, it had to rescue the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf.

"Mengcha, it was your demon race that started this whole thing. Even if my Ancestral God Sect didn't intervene, could you really kill Ling Xuan? We all saw the battle just now. Ling Xuan is a true sixth-order Universe Lord. Within the Primordial Universe, neither of you can do anything to each other," the Two-Faced Ancestral God said.

“That’s good, just lay out your terms.” The Lord of Void Gold also spoke up, “If you want to start a war, we’ll call back the Giant Axe right now. We’re not afraid even if all three of your races come at us together.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the Zerg and Mech warriors who were trying their best to minimize their presence, his eyes filled with warning.

"We weren't afraid when our teacher was suppressed, let alone now that another super strong person has been born in our human race. At worst, we can hide in the miniature universe of the giant axe and wait for Ling Xuan to break through and become the strongest person in the universe. Then none of you will be able to escape," the Lord of the Ice Peak echoed, his tone firm.

"That's right, at worst we'll just go all out with these beasts. With Ling Xuan's talent, it won't be long before he reaches the level of the Primordial Ancestor." The Lord of the Desolate Mirror had the most fiery temper, and he directly declared that he would play a mutual destruction game with the three races, as if he would just lie low for trillions of epochs until Ling Xuan became invincible in the universe.

"Hmph, you humans are dreaming. My demon race, as the number one race in the universe, will not play these kinds of tricks with you." Upon hearing this, the Dream Demon Ancestor's aura weakened somewhat.

It clearly understood the significance of the existence of the strongest being in the universe: it was a true deterrent to the race. As long as the Giant Axe Founder did not fall, humanity would have a way out. At that time, dozens of universe lords plus one strongest being in the universe would keep causing trouble in the territory, and no one could stand it.

To put it bluntly, the major clans are constantly fighting each other for more territory to cultivate more powerful individuals. However, if they are constantly targeted by the powerful individuals of the other side, then it will be in vain to conquer more territory.

"Release the Heavenly Wolf and compensate my demon race with a supreme treasure, and this matter will be over." The Dream Demon Ancestor stated his conditions, his snake eyes fixed on Ling Xuan and the Chaos City Lord.

"You wish! Humans are in the lead now. If anyone should pay compensation, it should be your demon race," Ling Xuan said coldly. "And since the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf has been defeated, he is a prisoner of humanity. If your demon race wants to ransom him, you'd better show some sincerity."

"Boy, arrogant." The Dream Demon Ancestor sneered, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

“Arrogance requires capital,” Ling Xuan retorted with a cold laugh. “And I happen to have it.”

"Demon Ancestor." The voice of the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf, who was hiding in the Heavenly Wolf Palace and suppressed in the Ice Mountain Palace, was filled with a hint of pleading and fear.

They are all ancient monsters who have lived for countless years. Although they are not afraid of death, none of them want to die if they can avoid it.

"Alright, alright, Ling Xuan, you wait. How about my demon race offers a top-tier treasure in exchange for the Heavenly Wolf?" The Dream Demon Ancestor was helpless. It knew that if it gave up on the Heavenly Wolf Lord today, it might affect the unity of the demon race. Moreover, the Heavenly Wolf Lord was an elder of the demon race, and its relationship with him was not shallow.

Ling Xuan glanced at the Lord of Chaos City and saw that the other party nodded. It was clear that the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf was worth at most a top-tier treasure, and it was very likely that the other party had even overpaid for it.

He agreed, "Okay, but I need to see the treasure first."

The Dream Demon Ancestor's eyes flickered as he began to make plans.

This battle was initiated jointly by the three races. As a result, not only did the demon race lose a universe master, but they also have a universe master detained.

This loss could not be borne by the demon race alone, so they turned their attention to the powerful insectoid and mechanical race members standing to the side.

It quietly summoned the Zerg Queen and the Machine Father God in a desolate star field far from this place by descending through its will.

"Mengcha, what urgent matter has summoned us here?" The Zerg Queen's will asked with a hint of wariness. She had already learned about the events that had occurred in the Ancestral Mystic Realm through the Lord of Purple Iris and others, but she was not in the Primal Universe and it would take her a long time to get back, so she was really in a bit of a predicament.

The mechanical god remained silent, awaiting the ancestor of dreams' next words.

The Dream Demon Ancestor cut to the chase: "You've all seen the current situation. Humanity is powerful, and your Universe Lord is still here. I can protect them, but without my protection, the Universe Lords of both races will fall into human hands, and then they'll demand even higher prices."

The Zerg Queen and the Machine God's expressions changed slightly. They knew that the Dream Ancestor was telling the truth. If the Dream Ancestor hadn't been there to restrain them, humanity might have attacked their cosmic ruler.

"Name your terms?" the Mechanical God asked in a deep voice.

A sly glint flashed in the eyes of the Dream Demon Ancestor: "It's simple. To redeem the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf, we need a supreme treasure as ransom. Your two families, along with my demon race, will contribute to this ransom. For you, this is much better than losing the Lord of the Universe. You each give me three top-tier treasures."

"What? You want us to come out together?" The Zerg Queen glared at the Dream Demon Ancestor, her tone full of displeasure. "You're taking advantage of our misfortune! Do you really think our Zerg are easy to bully?"

Although the Zerg can afford it, no one would be happy to be blackmailed like this.

"Hmph, you know best whether you'll comply or not." The Dream Demon Ancestor sneered. "Then you can just wait and see your universe's master being controlled by humans. The losses will be far more than just this." The Mechanical Race True God's face was ashen. He suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Fine, we agree."

He knew perfectly well that this was extortion, but there was really no better way to do it at the moment.

The Zerg Queen could only grit her teeth and nod in agreement: "I agree as well. But Mengcha, you'd better bring back the Zerg's Universe Lord, otherwise, your demon race can expect to suffer my wrath."

After saying that, the Zerg Queen vanished from the spot.

The Dream Demon Ancestor did not stop it.

Three top-tier treasures are nothing; a universe-shaking, supreme being wouldn't renege on such a small debt.

After reaching an agreement with the two races, the Dream Demon Ancestor took out a long spear.

"This is a supreme treasure of the highest attack type."

The Dream Demon Ancestor threw the spear to Ling Xuan: "The treasure is here. Release Tianlang."

Ling Xuan took the spear, his fingers lightly stroking the shaft, feeling the violent power contained within, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

After carefully examining it and confirming that it was indeed a top-tier treasure, he nodded to the Lord of Ice Peak.

The Lord of Ice Peaks controlled the Ice Mountain Palace and released the Lord of Sirius, but did not release the Sirius Palace.

The meaning is clear: one thing at a time, the ultimate treasure is only enough to exchange for the Lord of Sirius.

The Dream Demon Ancestor did not linger.

After the Lord of Sirius emerged, still shaken, he ran behind the Dream Demon Ancestor and said gratefully, "Thank you for saving my life, Demon Ancestor."

The Dream Demon Ancestor glanced at him and snorted coldly, "Let's go back first."

Then it looked at the cosmic rulers of the Zerg and Machine races, "You should come with me too. Staying here any longer might lead to something bad happening."

The Zerg and Mech race's cosmic overlords, feeling as if granted a pardon, activated their palace treasures and followed. Then, turning around and following behind it, they left the battlefield in a sorry state, filled with anger and resentment.

Watching them depart, Ling Xuan handed the spear to the Chaos City Lord: "City Lord, please exchange this treasure for treasure points for me. I don't need this weapon."

The Lord of Chaos City took the spear and nodded in satisfaction: "This spear is not bad. It is indeed a good item carried by the strongest person in the universe. It can be exchanged for about 2000 Treasure Points."

"Thank you for your help, three Ancestral Gods." Ling Xuan turned around, his expression sincere, and bowed to the three Ancestral Gods, his words full of gratitude.

Although he is not afraid of the Dream Demon Ancestor with his current strength, the help from the three Ancestral Gods has reduced a lot of trouble for him.

"It's alright. You are the inheritor of my Ancestral God Sect. Being within the sphere of influence of my Ancestral God Sect, you should naturally be protected." The two-faced Ancestral God replied with a kind face and a smile in his eyes. His voice was gentle, and his smile conveyed a sense of closeness, as if he were emphasizing the responsibilities that the Ancestral God Sect should fulfill to its inheritors.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xuan's lips curled up slightly. He exchanged glances with the three Ancestral Gods, and they smiled knowingly at each other.

He understood perfectly well the true reason why the three ancestral gods had intervened.

The so-called protector of the successor is just a pretext; in reality, they are just trying to win him over because they see the potential he has shown.

If it were truly from the perspective of the Ancestral God Cult, the Ancestral Gods should have appeared when he was besieged by ten Universe Lords. Why would they wait until he fought a fierce battle with the Dream Demon Ancestor and displayed his powerful strength before showing up? Clearly, they sensed his potential as a Universe Lord to contend with the strongest beings in the universe and wanted to quickly invest in him.

After confirming that the Dream Demon Ancestor had completely departed with the Zerg and Mechanical Race powerhouses, the Chaos City Lord, the Ice Peak Lord, and others also took their leave.

As vital pillars of the human race, they bore heavy responsibilities in the primordial universe; they were not here for a leisurely rest.

On ordinary days, they are either stationed in important places concerning the safety of their race, or waiting for opportunities in key locations such as the Primal Star where treasures may be born.

Take the Lord of Ice Peaks for example. He had been guarding the Primordial Star, waiting for a component of his domain-type treasure to appear.

At the same time, the creator of the giant axe, far away in the cosmic sea, also received the news of Ling Xuan's fierce battle against the Dream Demon Ancestor.

Now that Ling Xuan has reached the realm of the Lord of the Universe, he has naturally gained the qualification to attend the highest human council, as is customary.

"Boy, is this the surprise you mentioned to me?" The founder of the giant axe's hearty laughter echoed in the council hall. He turned his gaze to Ling Xuan, who was sitting on the throne beside him, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Now, Ling Xuan possesses combat power comparable to the strongest beings in the universe, and his status within his clan has risen instantly, almost rivaling that of the founder of the Giant Axe.

Originally there were only two black thrones, but now a new one has been added, highlighting Ling Xuan's new status.

"I want to say that this was purely accidental. I didn't expect to be assassinated by the three races working together." Ling Xuan helplessly spread his hands, his words carrying a hint of emotion about this unexpected battle.

"Hahaha, since the Primordial Ancestor was suppressed, the human race has relied on me alone to struggle for a long time. Now, finally, a strong person like you has risen up and can share the burden on my shoulders." The Giant Axe Founder laughed heartily, his words full of relief and joy.

Having shouldered the burden of the rise and fall of the tribe alone for many years, he now has a capable helper, and his joy is beyond words.

“As is customary, every newly promoted Universe Lord of our race is bestowed with a top-tier treasure to encourage their continued growth.” The Chaos City Lord looked at Ling Xuan with a solemn expression and said in a steady tone, “Ling Xuan, tell me your thoughts and needs.”

Ling Xuan pondered for a moment, then spoke up: "City Lord, could you exchange the reward for Treasure Points? I would like to exchange for the Treasures I need based on my actual needs. Moreover, with the fall of the Lord of the Netherworld, all the treasures on his body belong to me. In addition, there is the peak Treasure that the Dream Demon Ancestor used to exchange for hostages. I can take this opportunity to equip myself with a set of suitable Treasures."

"This kid, he just broke through to become a Universe Lord, and his wealth is already greater than most of ours." The Lord of Void Gold smiled, his eyes filled with amusement. "I remember you obtained the first treasure personally placed by the Ancestral God in the Ancestral God Sect's treasure trove, right? At that time, your strength was still weak, so it was inconvenient for you to ask too many questions. Now that your strength has increased, why not take it out and let us broaden our horizons?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Xuan smiled faintly and calmly replied, "That number one treasure is a top-tier palace-type treasure. However, it is not suitable for me, so I exchanged it for Hongmeng at that time."

"A top-tier palace-type treasure? As expected of the Ancestral God Sect, they really go all out." The Lord of Void Gold couldn't help but exclaim, his words full of admiration for the Ancestral God Sect's profound resources.

(End of this chapter)