Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 193 The Zerg Queen in Danger
"The Lord of the Golden Wall is no less formidable!" another powerful figure added. "He is an expert in defense, and even as a Universe Venerable, he was able to withstand the Flame Emperor's attacks. Although his attack power may not be as strong as the Lord of the Void Blade or the Flame Emperor, he is three million kilometers tall and has now broken through to become a Universe Lord. In terms of a prolonged battle, none of the four geniuses can compare to him. If he really gets entangled, even the Lord of the Void Blade will have a headache for a long time."

Mentioning the Lord of the Golden Wall, the discussion among the crowd became even more heated. At this moment, someone looked at the Nine Domains Alliance expert who had just questioned the Flame Emperor and asked with a smile, "You have been active in the Primordial Universe for many years, so tell me, how does the Lord of the Blazing Sun, Cao Benqi, who is also a member of the human race, compare to the other three?"

Upon hearing this, the Nine Domains Alliance expert pondered for a moment and said, "The Blazing Sun Lord's Flaming Divine Halberd Technique is incredibly powerful, but his combat strength seems to be far inferior to the previous three. Currently, his combat strength is only at the level of a fourth-order Universe Lord."

Upon hearing this, a low chuckle rippled through the crowd. The powerful figure from the first reincarnation era shook his head, his tone tinged with disdain: "It seems that one of the four geniuses is going to fall behind."

"And it seems that I've heard that this Lord of the Blazing Sun also has some issues with his character."

The discussion grew increasingly heated, but the focus gradually shifted to whether the Golden Wall Lord's defense could withstand the Void Blade Lord's blade.

……

"Xuan Gu, did you hear that?" The Lord of Bi Long sat atop Xuan Gu's avatar's shoulder, her two smooth little feet gently swaying in the chaotic air currents, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement, "All the powerful beings in the Cosmic Sea are talking about you!"

Xuan Gu's clone nodded slightly, his stone face expressionless, his voice deep and resonant like the clash of metal: "Hmm. The strength of the Flame Emperor and the Lord of the Void Blade is indeed something to be wary of."

The Lord of Bilong swung his toes closer, asking curiously, "Then are you confident you can defeat them?"

"In terms of defense, neither of these two is a match for me." Xuan Gu's clone carefully assessed, the patterns on the surface of his stone body glowing slightly. "However, my attack power is indeed somewhat lacking."

"As expected of the Lord of the Golden Wall, whose defense is unparalleled in the primordial universe!" The Lord of the Azure Mound nodded with pride, patting the jagged rocks on the shoulder of the Xuan Gu clone.

The arrival of the two instantly attracted the attention of powerful figures from various races in the surrounding area.

The whispers that had been discussing the Lord of the Void Blade suddenly stopped, as countless hidden gazes were cast from the chaotic air currents and the shadows of the stone pillars.

"That rock giant... is he the legendary Lord of the Golden Wall?" A thin but sharp voice broke the brief silence, tinged with uncertainty.

"It should be him. Of the four top geniuses in the primordial universe, he is the only one who is close to the Zerg. The Lord of the Universe on his shoulder is the Lord of Bilong in the primordial universe era." Another deep voice chimed in, with a hint of inquiry in his tone. "I just don't know if he is as powerful as the rumors say."

“It’s hard to say.” A third cold voice interjected, carrying obvious doubt. “After all, it’s just a rumor. This Lord of the Golden Wall has never been to the Cosmic Sea. If he really has invincible strength, why would he stay in the Primordial Universe? He’s not like Emperor Yan, who was held back by the complicated affairs of the human race. Moreover, even Emperor Yan only gained such prestige by truly defeating the True Lord of the Divine Eye Clan in the Cosmic Sea.”

This remark immediately sparked a wave of agreement.

A rustling voice followed, saying, "That's right, the so-called 'invincible defense' is mostly bragging. The guys in the Primal Universe always love to exaggerate the abilities of their own people. The Lord of the Void Blade was indeed powerful just now, but this Lord of the Golden Wall... looks quite ordinary."

"What do you know!" the deep voice retorted. "The Lord of the Golden Wall, a Universe Venerable, could withstand the Flame Emperor's attack. How could his defense be weak? Besides, if his defense were fake, some force would have come to provoke him long ago. How could he have remained safe until now?"

"Coming to our doorstep?" The cold voice immediately retorted, "You should know that the Lord of the Golden Wall is under the protection of the Zerg. Who in the primordial universe would come to provoke us, to come to our death?"

The surrounding discussions immediately split into two camps.

Those who support the rumors insist that the title of "Four Great Geniuses" implies that the Lord of the Golden Wall must possess extraordinary defensive abilities; those who question the rumors insist that "without evidence, it is false," and without publicly available battle records to support it, even the most resounding title is meaningless.

Amid the chaos, a voice laced with encouragement suddenly rang out: "Since there are so many theories, why don't we send someone up to try? If they can break through his defenses, we'll expose the scam."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a furious growl came from the side: "Get lost! If you want me dead, just say so! Didn't you see that the Lord of the Void Blade just killed five fools? Even if the Lord of the Golden Wall has average defense, he is still one of the four great geniuses. Crushing us is a piece of cake for him. Why don't you try it yourself?"

The encouraging voice immediately fell silent.

At this moment, the Xuan Gu clone seemed to notice the surrounding discussions. Its stone head turned slightly, and its gaze swept across the direction of the surging chaotic energy.

Although they didn't deliberately release any pressure, the moment that gaze fell upon them, all the alien powerhouses subconsciously shut their mouths and even softened their breathing.

The cold, questioning voice that had been uttering doubts fell silent instantly, no longer daring to make a sound.

The Lord of Bilong whispered in the ear of Xuan Gu's clone, "See? They only dare to talk behind your back. They cower as soon as you set your sights on them."

Xuan Gu's clone did not respond, but simply withdrew its gaze.

He actually really wanted to go all out this time.

While Xuan Gu's clone doesn't have many publicly recorded battles, it has created numerous secret techniques over countless eons. However, it has always lacked an opponent that it could fully utilize its abilities against. The whispers of those alien races, on the contrary, stirred up the fighting spirit hidden beneath its stone skin.

The two continued forward, stepping on the chaotic currents. Suddenly, the Lord of the Azure Dragon stopped, her beautiful smile vanishing instantly. Her small hands gripped the stone shoulder of Xuan Gu's avatar tightly: "Xuan Gu, something bad has happened! Sister is in trouble!"

"Hmm." Xuan Gu's clone responded with obvious hesitation, his stone-like brows furrowing slightly, a trace of struggle creeping onto his expressionless face.

The divine avatar left in the Zerg Garden also received the news.

The Zerg Queen, who was exploring the core of the spaceship, was targeted by the Star Lord of the Divine Eye Clan and is currently being besieged by the second and third Lords.

The Lord of Bilong looked up at him, her eyes slightly red, her voice filled with hope and urgency: "Let's hurry and save my sister! What if something happens to her..."

She knew how powerful Xuan Gu's clone was. In the God-Slaying Abyss, it was able to withstand the Lava Demon God's attack and was the strongest shield in the universe. If Xuan Gu was willing to take action, he could definitely save her sister.

Xuan Gu's clone stopped in his tracks, and chaotic energy swirled around his feet.

Those Zerg universe lords had obviously received the message as well. Even though the Queen repeatedly warned them "not to come," they still rushed toward the core of the spaceship regardless of everything, even though the spacetime turbulence and some dangerous places along the way were enough to crush more than 90% of the universe lords.

"You must not come any closer," the Zerg Queen's divine avatar said in the Zerg garden. Even though she was surrounded, her tone remained calm and composed. "I'm just trapped. Don't forget, I have the Queen's Nest. No matter how powerful the Divine Eye Clan is, they can't break through the defense of this supreme treasure. I will find a chance to escape. You just need to protect your clan."

Xuan Gu's clone's fingertips curled slightly at his side.

But a thought kept churning in his mind: "I didn't infiltrate the Zerg to support them."

If the Zerg Queen is truly suppressed, the Zerg will be leaderless and inevitably collapse, while humanity will be the only elite race to know the news. Taking advantage of this, we can conquer the Zerg territory, expanding humanity's territory by two-thirds, doubling our resources and territory, enough to cultivate even more geniuses..." This thought was like a thorn stuck in his heart, preventing him from taking the first step.

Seeing that he didn't move, the Lord of Bilong became even more anxious and her eyes reddened, but she sensibly didn't urge him anymore, only clenching her little hands even tighter.

The Xuan Gu clone remained silent, the patterns on its stone body flickering between light and shadow.

But another thought suddenly came to mind: with that woman's intelligence and composure, she would never sit idly by and wait for her death.

The core of the spaceship was full of dangerous forbidden areas. She could rely on the Queen's Nest to force her way into those areas that the Divine Eye Clan dared not set foot in, and leave the pursuers far behind. In the original work, the Zerg Queen never had a suppressed ending. Xuan Gu clone knew this better than anyone else.

If I don't rescue the Zerg Queen this time, my identity as a spy will probably be exposed once that woman comes out of the spaceship.

He shook his head; pondering such matters of ethnic planning and survival development had never been his forte.

"Forget it, I'll go take a look anyway." With the idea that if he couldn't figure it out, he should just confront them directly, Ling Xuan made his final decision.

The two True Lords of the Divine Eye Clan are precisely the perfect touchstone for this secret technique.

It can both verify the power of one's secret techniques and, as for the Zerg's scheming regarding their territory, if humanity truly wants to rise, it should rely on the strength of producing powerful individuals, not on such lucky plunder.

The entanglement vanished in an instant.

Xuan Gu's clone looked down at the Lord of Bilong on his shoulder. His stone-like voice was still deep, but it had become more resolute: "Let's go."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his stone body transformed into a gray-brown stream of light, speeding towards the core of the spaceship.

The chaotic airflow was forcibly torn open, and the spatial turbulence along the way touched his stone body, only making a few soft collision sounds before dissipating without a trace.

The Lord of Bilong was taken aback at first, then a joyful smile appeared on her face. She quickly steadied herself and whispered in his ear, "Xuan Gu, you're so kind! I'll definitely thank you properly!"

Xuan Gu's clone did not respond, but instead increased its speed even more.

A streak of grayish-brown light pierced through the chaos, and just as it passed the boundary of the space of the black-patterned stone pillar, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorted—the originally relatively stable chaotic airflow instantly became violent, and the area more than a hundred light-years ahead was like an overturned ink pool, turning into a boiling quagmire of spacetime.

The dark purple turbulence, like a raging sea beast breaking free of its shackles, rolled and roared in the void. Each vortex made a piercing sound like tearing fabric as it turned, stretching the spatial structure to the thinness of a cicada's wing. The bottomless gray void below could be vaguely seen, like the mouth of a giant beast ready to devour its prey.

This is the most dangerous "shattered space turbulence zone" in the inner domain of the Cosmic Ship. Even a powerhouse at the level of a Cosmic Lord would be swept into the spacetime rift and perish completely without leaving a trace if he was not careful, if he did not have the protection of a supreme treasure palace.

The Lord of Bilong lay on the shoulder of Xuan Gu's avatar, her small hands instinctively clenching the patterns on the stone shoulder. Her face instantly turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly: "Xuan Gu, the turbulence here will tear space apart! Should we go around...?"

Before the word "circle" could be finished, the giant body of Xuan Gu's clone had already activated.

The gray-brown rock surface that originally covered the entire body suddenly lit up with a dazzling golden light. The light did not float outside the body, but seeped out from the cracks in the rock like magma, gradually covering every inch of the rock body, transforming the entire rock giant, which was three million kilometers tall, into a golden colossus radiating scorching golden light.

The golden light blended seamlessly with the stone body, making the patterns on the stone arms and the knuckles of the stone hands clearly visible. Yet, it was enveloped in the golden light, resembling a cast golden statue, exuding both weight and a chilling aura of power.

Just then, dozens of spacetime blades as thick as an arm roared out from the turbulent currents, like assassins hidden in the shadows. Their blades gleamed with a grayish-white light that could cut through energy, pointing directly at the golden giant's head, chest, and other parts of the body. Each blade precisely locked onto the direction of evasion.

This is the most common danger in the Shattered Void Turbulence Zone. If an ordinary universe master encounters it, they must immediately activate their supreme treasure to resist it. If they hesitate even slightly, they will be severely injured by the blade energy.

Xuan Gu's clone didn't even lift an eyelid.

He didn't even adjust his flight attitude, letting the spacetime blades slash at his golden stone body.

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

A series of dense clanging sounds echoed through the void, like countless iron hammers striking fine steel.

Those spacetime blades, powerful enough to cleave deep marks into the armor of an ordinary universe master, left only a shallow white mark when they landed on the golden stone body. In an instant, the mark was covered by the golden light flowing across the surface of the stone body, without even a speck of stone flying up.

Even more astonishingly, when the three foremost spacetime blades struck his chest, his golden stone body trembled slightly. The force of the impact traveled back along the blades, shattering the three spacetime blades into tiny gray-white specks that dissipated into the turbulent currents.

Xuan Gu's clone did not stop. Its golden giant body, like a chariot cutting through thorns and brambles, rushed straight into the deeper part of the turbulent current.

Suddenly, a giant turbulent vortex with a diameter of a hundred feet appeared ahead. The space at the center of the vortex was completely shattered, and gray nothingness churned within it, emitting a suction force that devoured everything.

This vortex is several times more dangerous than the spacetime blade from before. If an ordinary universe master gets close, he will be dragged by the suction force and crash into the void, without even a chance to resist.

The Lord of Bilong closed his eyes in fright, but felt the stone body beneath him not only not slow down, but instead accelerated forward.

She secretly opened her eyes a crack and saw Xuan Gu's clone raise its stone arm, which was wrapped in golden light, and smash it fiercely towards the center of the vortex.

The moment the golden stone fist collided with the vortex, there was no earth-shattering roar, but instead a muffled "hum" – the vortex's suction force was like encountering an impenetrable wall, and was actually resisted by the stone fist. The gray void churned violently in front of the fist, but could not advance any further.

The next second, Xuan Gu's clone exerted force with his arm, and the golden stone fist pushed forward. The giant vortex collapsed instantly like a punctured balloon, and dark purple turbulence splashed in all directions. When it hit his golden stone body, it just slid off like water and could not cause any damage.

"This...this is too amazing!" The Lord of Bilong was dumbfounded, his previous fear replaced by shock. "Xuan Gu, your body is even tougher than a top-tier treasure!"

The Xuan Gu clone remained silent, its golden stone body weaving through the turbulent currents. Any spacetime blades or small vortexes it encountered along the way were either withstood by it or shattered by it with a flick of its wrist.

His movements were devoid of any fancy moves; every collision was direct and brutal, yet it carried an unparalleled power—his golden stone body was like an indestructible weapon, or an unbreakable shield, transforming the perilous turbulent flow of the shattered void into a smooth road.

(End of this chapter)