Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 169 I'll even change out Teacher Giant Axe's underwear.
The Lord of Void Mark explained from the side, "We dare to challenge those powerful beings from other races because they have their own races to restrain them—if you can't beat them, other universe lords from their races might also keep them in check; if you really anger the Purple Moon Holy Land, all the universe lords from our Holy Land can come out together and kill them. But lone wolves are different. They can fight and kill as they please, without any constraints, and they are not afraid to fight you to the death."

"Although the Lord of the Void Blade is considered a member of the Primordial Universe's Hong Alliance, can you guarantee that he is of one mind with the Hong Alliance?" the Lord of the Thorn Whip added. "The Hong Alliance has always tried to win over these special life forms with benefits. If you really ask him to suffer losses for the Hong Alliance, do you think he would do it?"

The Lord of the Heavenly Hammer nodded repeatedly, his face filled with lingering fear, and his apprehension towards Ling Xuan deepened even further.

On the other side, Ling Xuan examined the treasure he had just acquired as he traveled away, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The three top-tier treasures put together by the Lord of Thorns and his companions were of average quality, but the Lord of Heavenly Hammer was more generous, handing over his commonly used top-tier domain-type treasure.

Although he didn't kill the Lord of the Heavenly Hammer this time, he did dampen the opponent's spirit and even unexpectedly broke through during the battle, which can be considered a great gain.

After a fierce battle, the fearsome reputation of the "Lord of the Void Blade" grew even stronger in the vicinity of the Black Pattern Stone Pillar space, and no one dared to approach him easily anymore.

Ling Xuan finally had some peace and quiet to focus on finding the corresponding secret room.

The black token will detect the target as soon as it gets close, eliminating the need to check each one individually and saving a lot of effort.

After three years, Ling Xuan finally sensed the unusual movement of the token. Following the sensation, he flew over and soon saw the secret chamber of the Xuan Gu Lord.

Whoosh!
Ling Xuan transformed into a streak of crimson light and rapidly approached.

This secret chamber was extremely large, comparable to the massive rock that flew around the black-veined stone pillar.

When he flew closer, he felt as insignificant as a speck of dust.

When he reached out to touch the wall of the secret room, his palm passed right through it without any obstruction.

"Huh?" Ling Xuan smiled in surprise, then stepped forward and entered the secret room easily, as if passing through water vapor.

Inside the secret chamber was a vast, independent space, majestic and boundless, with no end in sight.

Only those who possess the black token can enter this place—even the strongest beings in the universe cannot force their way in. Over countless years, there has never been a precedent for the destruction of this spatial chamber, not even the lowest-level of the three token chambers.

"It's huge." Ling Xuan hovered in mid-air, looking down at the endless land below, and marveled inwardly.

On the earth, there is a continuous mountain range. One side of the mountain has been cut very flat. The smooth rock face is densely covered with secret patterns and written records, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Whoosh! Ling Xuan's figure blurred as he swiftly landed in front of the rock wall, at the beginning of the carved record.

The inscriptions on the rock face are ancient and unfamiliar, yet they contain a powerful will. They can transmit messages directly to the viewer's mind without needing to be deciphered—at the level of the Lord of the Universe, transmitting massive amounts of information through words or images is a common practice.

He walked slowly along the rock face, reading through the messages left by previous owners one by one.

……

"I am the Lord of the Fiery Prison, the 389th Space Master. I fear I will never be able to break through again in this lifetime. I leave behind my cultivation insights and a summary of my secret techniques here, hoping that future generations can glean some understanding from them and go further in the Cosmic Sea. I have also marked several dangerous places I have explored for future generations to refer to."

"I am the Lord of Frost, the 390th master of this space. I have benefited greatly from the legacy of the senior Flame Prison. I now leave behind my insights into the application of secret techniques, and also supplement some newly discovered maps, hoping to pave the way for future generations."

"I am the Lord of Wind, the 391st Master of Space..."

The messages on the rock face are layered upon layered, each carrying the past and aspirations of a strong person.

Ling Xuan slowed his pace, carefully sensing the will contained within, sometimes pausing to ponder, sometimes nodding slightly.

While these inheritances may not be suitable for him, they can still give him a more comprehensive understanding of the cultivation path in the cosmic sea.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Ling Xuan arrived at the deepest part of the rock wall. The writing here was different from that in other places, exuding a majestic and vast aura. The traces looked very new, probably left by the previous owner.

He stopped in his tracks, immersing himself in the sensation, and sure enough, the will of the Ancient Lord slowly began to emanate from him:
"Your ability to come here means you have obtained the relics I left in the primordial universe. Congratulations, newcomer."

First came a summary of his life's battles, and then came the message about the treasures and maps that Ling Xuan cared about most.

"You are truly fortunate. Among the ancestors of this secret chamber, there have been very few people of wicked character. Therefore, the maps of the three dangerous places in this secret chamber have been preserved extremely well. I hope that you can pass them down. One day, this secret chamber will give birth to someone who can break through the cycle of reincarnation."

Below this passage, three maps are quietly laid out, each corresponding to one of the three most dangerous places.

Among them, the map of the spaceship is the most detailed. Compared with the map collected by the human Hongmeng, its coverage area is about 21 times larger, and many areas related to the inner domain and the core area are depicted in detail.

"As a special life form, I have no clan ties, and all my life's treasures are left here. What you're most interested in must be that supreme treasure, the battle axe, right? Hahaha, take it... I hope you can survive the cycle of reincarnation, lucky boy. If you fail to survive, I hope you'll leave some of the things you don't need here..."

After reading these messages, Ling Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "It's true that those who came before plant the trees so that those who come after can enjoy the shade. Thank you all, seniors. Whether or not I can survive the cycle of reincarnation, I will definitely leave some treasures here, and I will never delete these precious maps."

Only now did Ling Xuan focus his attention on the supreme treasure left behind by the Lord of Xuangu.

His gaze was instantly drawn to a giant axe with the most powerful aura. With a thought, the axe was brought before his eyes, and he began to examine it closely.

"There are actually ten secret patterns engraved on it?" Ling Xuan murmured to himself after discovering this surprising discovery.

Normally, the third layer of secret runes corresponds to the top combat power of the sixth rank (early True God); the fourth layer corresponds to the top combat power of the seventh rank (mid True God); the fifth layer corresponds to the top combat power of the eighth rank (high True God); the sixth layer corresponds to the top combat power of the ninth rank (True God limit); and the seventh layer corresponds to the top combat power of the tenth rank (however, some supreme treasures may not possess this).

However, this giant axe treasure is actually engraved with the tenth secret rune, which means that it is a treasure at the level of a Void True God.

However, the classification of treasures in the Cosmic Sea is relatively simple, with only one category: the Supreme Treasure.

"Shouldn't we just swap out all of Teacher Giant Axe's underwear for him?!" Ling Xuan couldn't hide his joy and burst out laughing.

However, he has no intention of leaving for the time being, and plans to stay here to cultivate and reorganize.

I haven't fully mastered the Tai Chi principles I've learned before, so I'll take this opportunity to wait for the main body to arrive.

The "Breaking Illusion" sword technique embodies the principle of endless life; the "Returning to the Void" sword technique, on the other hand, signifies the destruction of all things returning to the void. One represents life, and the other represents destruction, just like the way of life and death, subtly aligning with the wonder of the harmony of Yin and Yang.

Ling Xuan calmed himself down, placed the giant axe in front of him, and slowly circulated his divine power, trying to find the point of convergence between it and the Tai Chi Dao.

Tai Chi represents the primordial state at the beginning of chaos, containing the immense energy before the separation of Yin and Yang. As the saying goes, "From Tai Chi, the two polarities are born." Yin and Yang are derived from Tai Chi, representing two fundamental forces of opposites and unity. Just like the intent of the Breaking Illusion Blade and the Returning to the Void Blade Technique, they seem contradictory but are actually complementary.

He closed his eyes, immersing himself in the understanding of the two sword techniques, and a Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol gradually appeared in his mind.

The white yang fish, like the intent of the Breaking Illusion Blade, is full of vitality and extends outward continuously; the black yin fish, like the Returning to Nothingness Blade Technique, contains endless power of devouring and destruction. The two intertwine and merge with each other, with yin eyes in the yang fish and yang eyes in the yin fish, implying that there is yin within yang and yang within yin, life within death and death within life.

As his understanding deepened, the circulation of divine power around Ling Xuan became increasingly wondrous, subtly resonating with the rotating state of the yin-yang fish.

He sensed that a more profound law seemed to be hidden between birth and death, which might be a glimpse of the "Tao".

"The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things." All things in the universe are conceived and born in this interaction of Yin and Yang, and in the process of birth and death.

Ling Xuan attempted to fuse the power of the Breaking Illusion Blade Intent with the power of the Returning Void Blade Technique according to the yin-yang symbol. Initially, the two forces repelled each other, constantly clashing and causing his blood and qi to surge. However, he did not give up, and with unwavering willpower, he continuously adjusted the proportion and rhythm of the power.

Finally, after one difficult attempt after another, the power contained in the Breaking Illusion Blade Intent and the Returning Void Blade Technique formed a subtle cycle within Ling Xuan's body.

This cycle is like the eternal flow of the yin and yang fish in the Tai Chi diagram, one breath, one action, endless life.

However, Ling Xuan knew in his heart that this was only a preliminary compatibility at the level of power, far from the fusion of the Dao of Life and Death.

The Dao of birth and death is unfathomable. With his current level of cultivation, he has not even truly stepped into the threshold of either. How easy would it be to perfectly integrate the two?

What has been achieved at this moment is merely finding a fragile and precious balance, much like how Jie Fanzi manipulated the origins of water and fire.

Even so, this breakthrough allowed Ling Xuan to feel a rapid improvement in his own realm.

Lost in the immersion of cultivation, time flew by. Ling Xuan's true form, riding the Purple Abyss Star Palace, traversed the endless void and arrived here.

After the main body and the Zhouheng clone reunited, Ling Xuan instructed the main body to head towards the direction of the Qingfeng Realm, while the Zhouheng clone continued to explore the spaceship.

The moment a map is first discovered is when you're most likely to find treasures, so you must explore it as soon as possible, otherwise those priceless treasures waiting for you somewhere will run off with someone else.

"Teacher, you've come out of the Peak Realm for a while now. Your disciple has brought you something truly amazing!" Ling Xuan said with a beaming smile, unable to hide his excitement, as soon as he saw the creator of the Giant Axe.

"Oh? What kind of treasure could make our Emperor Yan make such a special trip?" The creator of the giant axe watched Ling Xuan enter the palace and smiled, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Teacher, please don't tease your disciple. This is a token of my heart, and I guarantee it will satisfy you!" Ling Xuan blinked, keeping him in suspense.

"Alright, I'll have to take a good look." The founder of the giant axe was intrigued and became even more eager to see it.

"However, before that, Master, you still need to convene a meeting of the Great Axe. This disciple has gained a lot this time, bringing back many fine items that will surely surprise everyone!" Ling Xuan added.

"It seems you've found some rare treasure." The founder of the Giant Axe didn't think much of it. After all, Ling Xuan, as the second strongest in the clan, was indeed qualified to gather many powerful figures and start this crucial Giant Axe meeting.

In the blink of an eye, the eighteen current cosmic lords of the human race gathered together (excluding Lord Youhou).

"This meeting was initiated by Emperor Yan, and I heard that he obtained many good things." As soon as everyone arrived, the founder of the giant axe looked at Ling Xuan beside him, signaling him to speak.

"Then let Emperor Yan tell everyone about it."

"Hahaha, Giant Axe, it's rare to see you personally presiding over a Giant Axe meeting!" Master Peng stroked his large beard and joked with a smile.

Normally, the Giant Axe Conference is chaired by the Lord of Chaos City, while the founder of the Giant Axe Conference, who named it, is hardly a presence. Today's situation is truly rare.

All the lords of the universe turned their gazes to Ling Xuan, eagerly anticipating what surprises this unparalleled genius of the human race would bring.

"This trip has been incredibly fruitful, and the most important thing is this treasure!" Ling Xuan raised his hand and waved it, and as his consciousness surged, the phantom of the giant axe in his hand was precisely projected.

Although he was in the cosmic sea and could not directly connect to the virtual universe, Ling Xuan, with his powerful consciousness, cleverly simulated and projected the giant axe shape using the Nine Nether clone left in the original universe.

"The Giant Axe?" The creator of the Giant Axe stared at the giant axe, a treasure in the projection, his eyes widening instantly, and his breathing becoming rapid.

Without needing to ask further, he knew in his heart that the surprise his good apprentice was talking about must be this thing.

Moreover, what a sixth-order universe lord would present as a pleasant surprise is most likely the most powerful treasure he has ever dreamed of.

"Emperor Yan, is this an extremely powerful treasure?" The Lord of Chaos City asked first, his voice tinged with urgency.

In the primordial universe, the four supreme races lived side by side, constantly clashing and fighting fiercely for core territories.

The strongest members of both the demon race and the insect race possess supreme treasures to protect their clans. The demon race, in particular, boasts two of the strongest members and two supreme treasures, making them incredibly powerful.

Although the Machine Race did not possess any supreme treasures, their Father God obtained a set of mechanical puppets that perfectly suited him, second only to the supreme treasures in power.

In contrast, the human race's founders of the giant axe have always lacked a suitable and powerful treasure, inevitably putting them at a disadvantage in the power struggles between different races.

Although the disadvantages are not obvious at present, as powerful figures emerge from all races and the struggles intensify in the future, this weakness will definitely be exposed, bringing a crisis to the human race.

"Hahaha, of course! If it weren't a supreme treasure, it wouldn't be worthy of my solemn presentation!" Ling Xuan laughed heartily, then continued, "From what I've observed, this treasure is inscribed with ten layers of secret runes, making it an extremely powerful artifact even among supreme treasures. If Master can wield it, his strength will undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds, and reaching the position of the strongest in the universe will not be difficult!"

"Hahaha, if the Giant Axe becomes the strongest in the Cosmic Sea, wouldn't our human race regain its throne as the number one power in the Cosmic Sea?"

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed excitedly, filled with anticipation for the future.

The founder of the giant axe remained somewhat calm and asked, "Such a rare treasure, you're so generous in giving it to your master?"

“Teacher, what are you saying! If this axe isn’t given to you, who else can it be given to? I am not skilled in using axe-type weapons, and my strength has not yet reached its peak. If it were to be coveted and taken by others, that would be a terrible waste. Only in your hands can it unleash its full power and protect our human race!” Ling Xuan said sincerely.

"Giant Axe, please don't refuse. This is a token of Emperor Yan's sincere gratitude!"

Upon seeing this, the Lord of Huangjian hurriedly tried to persuade him.

Everyone knows that although Ling Xuan is exceptionally strong and can rival the strongest in the universe, he has not yet truly reached that level, and he does not usually use weapons like giant axes.

In contrast, the founders of the giant axe have always lacked a suitable treasure. Once they possess this giant axe, their strength will be greatly enhanced, which will be of great significance to the human race.

After much persuasion from the crowd, the founder of the giant axe finally stopped refusing and solemnly accepted this supreme treasure.

(End of this chapter)