Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 197 The Great Emperor's Forbidden Artifact
The shockwave spread along the ship's hull, and Karl was slammed against the control panel. More than half of the guards were knocked unconscious, and only a few remained conscious, but they didn't even have the strength to lift their hands.

The demon hovered in front of the spaceship, its scale-covered face appearing particularly ferocious under the clouds, its vertical pupils fixed on Meng Yan inside the cabin.

Before Meng Yan could react, a chilling soul force suddenly pierced through the ship's hull, transforming into countless black tentacles that stabbed straight at Meng Yan's life core.

It aims to achieve its goal in one fell swoop, using the soul-enslaving method of granting immortality to completely enslave this human super genius before it, leaving him with no possibility of resurrection.

Seeing this, Captain Karl was both anxious and furious. He forced himself to stand up and stepped forward, his body radiating a pale blue ethereal divine power that shielded Meng Yan behind him like a thin veil, colliding with the demon's dark tentacles.

He knew in his heart that as long as he could hold out until the King of Qingfeng arrived, the demon race would have no way to escape.

The demon clan's Marquis title was clearly unexpected; Meng Yan's guards actually possessed Marquis-level strength.

Normally, the guard captains of the Giant Axe Secret Realm members are mostly Immortal Army Lord level. It originally thought it could instantly kill the guards and then enslave Meng Yan, but it was blocked by Karl at this moment and was caught off guard.

After all, Meng Yan had only been in Qingfeng Universe Kingdom for a short time, and Karl was a guard personally arranged by King Cangyan. He did not go through the procedures of the Giant Axe Arena, and no one knew Karl's true strength.

Not daring to delay any longer, the demon clan leader had no choice but to settle for second best. With a flick of his claws, he hurled the bone spear in his hand toward Meng Yan with a whistling sound.

Karl glared angrily, trying to step aside to block, but he was tightly entangled by the soul attack of the demon clan's Marquis—there was already a difference in strength between the two sides, and the demon clan's Marquis trapped him in place with just a little effort.

"Damn demons! This is the disciple of Emperor Yan! How dare you lay a hand on him? Are you trying to start a war between our two races?" Karl's voice was filled with anger, and his ethereal divine power fluctuated violently, but he was still unable to break free from the restraints.

"Hahaha, would the Flame Emperor really wage war against my demon race for a mere disciple?" The demon race's Marquis laughed wildly, his tone full of disdain. "Even if he wanted to, my demon race might not be afraid of him!"

Before he finished speaking, the bone spear, bearing the marks of spatial distortion, approached the spaceship's hatch. Meng Yan could even feel the chilling aura emanating from the spear tip, making it impossible to avoid.

Just at this critical moment, a golden streak of light suddenly rushed from the starry sky behind the spaceship, so fast that it tore through the air, leaving a brief golden afterimage. Even the clouds in the starry sky were torn open by the airflow, creating a straight gap.

Before the demon race could react, a crisp "clang" rang out in the starry sky. The resounding clang of metal against metal spread with energy ripples, instantly drowning out the spaceship's alarm.

The immense force traveled along the bone spear, not only halting its momentum but also sending it flying.

The bone spear, like a leaf swept up by a gale, changed direction and returned along the same path with even greater force, heading straight for the face of the demon clan's Marquis.

"What?" The demon clan's crowned marquis's pupils shrank drastically. He didn't have time to think it through. In a hurry, he raised his front paw, and black divine power instantly condensed into a thick shield at the tip of his paw, trying to take the blow head-on.

But the next second, the power from the bone spear far exceeded his expectations.

The power contained scorching crimson divine energy, burning his divine power like magma, instantly piercing through the shield and slamming hard into his forepaw.

With a muffled thud, the demon's forepaw shattered instantly, turning into countless black particles that scattered across the sky. His divine body trembled violently from the intense pain, and he staggered back several steps before barely managing to regain his balance.

It stared at the figure that suddenly appeared in front of it, its eyes filled with horror, and shouted sharply, "Who? How dare you interfere in the affairs of my demon race!"

As the dark golden light dissipated, Ling Feng's figure slowly appeared, with the dark golden staff behind him slowly flying back, its blade shimmering with a cold luster.

His icy gaze swept over the demon clan members holding the title of Marquis, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority: "The Flame Emperor lineage, King Liejin. Did you ask me before you attacked anyone from my Flame Emperor lineage?"

Old Deng had finally managed to take on a disciple, but he was assassinated as soon as he left the Giant Axe Arena. If Meng Yan were to die here, it would be like slapping the Flame Emperor in the face in front of the entire universe.

Ling Feng thought to himself, this time he not only protected Old Deng's face, but he might also be able to use the excuse of "meritorious service in protecting his disciple" to let his Old Deng get more gold coins. He had to play well.

"The King of Fiery Gold?!" The demon clan's Marquis-level expression changed drastically.

It had naturally heard of the invincible reputation of this King-level expert. It was rumored that his divine body strength was comparable to that of an ordinary Universe Venerable, and that his golden staff was a top-tier treasure that had once killed three King-level experts with a single blow.

But it just couldn't understand why such an important person would condescend to protect a mere regional lord.
Not to mention the rumors that King Liejin is suspected to be the son of Emperor Yan, with the son personally protecting his disciple. This is absolutely outrageous!

"Damn it, do you think this is all the preparation my demon race has made for this assassination?" The demon race's Marquis suddenly raised his claw, revealing a token covered with dark red patterns in his palm.

It stared intently at Meng Yan behind Ling Feng, and sneered, "Hahaha, no matter if you are the Fiery Gold King or the Flame King, this Meng Yan is doomed today!"

The next second, the demon clan's Marquis clenched the token tightly, and dark red divine power exploded instantly, tearing a vortex channel with a diameter of a hundred feet in the starry sky.

A rich, primal aura surged forth from the spatial rift, even tinting the surrounding starlight a dark purple.

"Boom!" The heavy sound of beast hooves came from the passage. A majestic black lion-shaped figure stepped out, stepping on dark golden divine flames. The lion's body was several kilometers long, and its mane was like burning black fire. The black divine power surging around its body had condensed into solid armor, and the blood-red crystal embedded between its eyebrows exuded a suffocating pressure.

The Cosmic Venerable, an incomparably terrifying demon race Cosmic Venerable.

Upon seeing this, the demon clan's Marquis immediately prostrated himself on the ground, his divine body trembling violently with fear. His voice was filled with respect and flattery: "Welcome, Venerable Black Lion! Your subordinate is incompetent and failed to defeat Meng Yan. Please lend me your assistance!"

"Fool!" The Black Lion Venerable's voice boomed like thunder, making the spaceship's cabin vibrate. His lion eyes were filled with rage. "The Lord of the Heavenly Wolf entrusted you with this divine token to deal with a crisis at the King level! To assassinate a Domain Lord with such a powerful weapon, is he some young Flame Emperor?"

The demon king, now a marquis, hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, his divine body pressed against the cold starry sky: "Your Excellency, please forgive me! I never expected that the Fierce Gold King would be by Meng Yan's side! The Fierce Gold King is an invincible warrior among the marquises, and... moreover, the news says that he possesses a great treasure bestowed by the Flame Emperor. Killing him would both demoralize humanity and allow us to seize the treasure, which is why I risked using my trump card!"

The Black Lion Venerable's lion-like eyes swept over Ling Feng, and when they touched the dark golden staff, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He naturally recognized King Liejin—this invincible king's combat power was top-tier at the immortal level, and his strength was unfathomable, comparable to the most ordinary cosmic venerable. Killing him would be no easy task.

Killing Meng Yan was a grand plan personally devised by the Lord of the Heavenly Wolf. It had to be a decisive blow, otherwise, once the Flame Emperor realized what was happening, the demon race would have no chance left.

"Troublesome." The Black Lion Venerable cursed under his breath, and his black divine power surged instantly, the pressure of the laws enveloping the entire area as if it were a tangible force.

As a supreme being of the universe who has comprehended the laws of space, he can easily seal off the space of this star field and prevent others from teleporting over.

Moreover, none of the people present expected to be assassinated by the Universe Venerable, and they probably did not possess the divine power token of the Azure Peak Kingdom Lord. Since the opponent could not descend to the divine kingdom, they would have enough time to kill him.

"Since you've come, there's no reason for you to leave empty-handed. King Liejin, I know you're troublesome, but if you insist on obstructing me, I'll make sure you perish here today!" Before the words were finished, the Black Lion Venerable suddenly extended his claws, black divine power condensing in his palm into a giant blade several kilometers long, slashing towards Ling Feng with the power to tear through space and time. Wherever the blade passed, space was cut with fine cracks.

Seeing the opportunity, Karl had already led Meng Yan back tens of thousands of kilometers.

Ling Feng's eyes narrowed, and the long staff behind him instantly flew into his hand. "Hahaha, I've been wanting to fight the Universe Venerable for a long time. Today I'll test you out."

He stepped into the air, his body shooting towards the giant blade like a cannonball. His dark gold staff swept out, the golden divine power condensed on the staff transforming into thousands of spikes that collided violently with the black giant blade.

"Clang—!" The deafening sound of metal clashing reverberated through the starry sky, and energy ripples spread like a tsunami. The Qinghe Star below shattered instantly under this attack, turning into cosmic dust.

"No—!" This scene made Meng Yan's eyes widen in horror, but as a mere domain lord, he was completely helpless.

Ling Feng was forced back hundreds of kilometers by the immense force, his divine power surging endlessly.

Seeing this, the Black Lion Venerable sneered, his lion's mouth opening and closing with disdain: "So what if you are an invincible king? In front of me, you are still just an ant!"

He flashed and instantly appeared beside Ling Feng, his massive lion claws, imbued with the power of spatial sealing, reaching for Ling Feng's head. "Die!"

Ling Feng's eyes sharpened, and dark golden scales appeared on the surface of his divine body.

At the same time, the long staff swept horizontally, and the golden divine power wrapped around the staff transformed into a coiled dragon, forcefully blocking the lion's claws, and taking advantage of the momentum, it struck the Black Lion Venerable's chest with an elbow strike.

"Bang!" The Black Lion Venerable was knocked back two steps, his lion eyes showing astonishment: "Your divine body... can actually withstand an attack from me?"

"Further words are useless!" Ling Feng shouted sharply, his long staff crashing down like a storm, sometimes like golden needles piercing through gaps, targeting the weaknesses in the divine power; sometimes like a giant hammer shattering rocks, forcefully confronting the opponent's defense.

Faced with Ling Feng's ferocious attack, the Black Lion Venerable was furious. He, a Universe Venerable, even if he was only a beginner Venerable, was actually blocked by a King-level Invincible. If word got out, he would lose all face.

With each swing of its claws, space itself was torn to shreds.

Meng Yan stood in front of the spaceship's hatch, watching the two figures locked in fierce combat in the starry sky, his fists clenched tightly.

He could clearly feel the pressure from the Venerable-level being as heavy as a mountain; Ling Feng's every block was extremely difficult, and he was clearly at a disadvantage.

"Karl, is there anything we can do to help Senior Brother Liejin?" Meng Yan asked urgently.

Karl shook his head with a wry smile, barely managing to steady himself by channeling his divine power to its limit: "In a battle at the Venerable level, a Marquis is completely powerless to intervene. We can only pray that the Lord of Qingfeng Kingdom can arrive as soon as possible..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Black Lion Venerable suddenly roared, his black divine power surging like a tidal wave. The blood-red crystal between his brows suddenly lit up, and a dark purple beam of light shot out like lightning tearing through the starry sky:

"Lionheart Burns the Heavens!"

The dark purple beam of light, carrying the power to incinerate everything, instantly pierced through the staff shadows set up by Ling Feng and struck his left shoulder precisely.

Ling Feng grunted, his body pushed back dozens of steps by the impact, but he remained firmly in the void, preventing the aftershocks from affecting the spaceship behind him.

The Black Lion Venerable pressed his advantage, his massive lion claws, imbued with the power of spatial sealing, lunging straight for Ling Feng's throat like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. His jaws opened and closed with a ferocious grin: "King Liejin, your good fortune has run out! Today you will perish here!"

Ling Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit. Instead of showing any fear, he revealed a playful smile.

He slowly straightened up, looking at the approaching lion's claws, his tone calm but carrying a hint of barely perceptible coldness: "The attack of the Universe Venerable is indeed powerful, but... I'm not playing with you anymore."

"What a joke!" Venerable Black Lion scoffed, his lion claws still pounding the ground. "Under my blockade, you think you can leave? This star field is your burial ground. You think you can come and go as you please?"

In his view, Ling Feng was just at the end of his rope, and his so-called "not playing anymore" was just an attempt to find a chance to escape. But in front of him, any means of escape would be futile.

"Run?" Ling Feng sneered, flipping his hand to take out a small bronze cauldron the size of a palm.

As soon as the small cauldron appeared, an indescribable and terrifying pressure instantly filled the entire area—it was not ordinary divine power or law pressure, but rather the supreme imperial might that looked down upon the universe and ruled over all paths, like an ancient emperor descending, causing the entire starry sky to tremble, and even space itself seemed to freeze.

The Black Lion Venerable's lion paws abruptly halted in mid-air, the ferocity on his face instantly replaced by shock. His lion eyes stared intently at the small bronze cauldron, his divine body trembling uncontrollably: "What...what is this?! This pressure...could it be...Emperor Yan? Impossible! How could a mere artifact possess such terrifying pressure?"

He had lived through countless eras and seen countless treasures, even supreme treasures, but he had never felt such suffocating pressure. It was as if he was facing not an object, but a terrifying cosmic ruler, and even his soul trembled instinctively.

Ling Feng toyed with the small bronze cauldron in his hand. The cauldron was covered with ancient imperial patterns, gleaming with a faint golden light in the starry sky. His tone carried a hint of pride: "Ignorant fool. This is the Great Emperor's forbidden artifact, the 'Flame Extreme Cauldron,' personally forged by my father, Emperor Yan. It sealed my old man's attacks three times. It's more than enough to deal with you, a Universe Venerable."

"Emperor Yan... Emperor Yan?!" The Black Lion Venerable's voice was filled with extreme fear. His lion body shook violently, and even his black divine power began to become chaotic. "You... you are really Emperor Yan's son? The Great Emperor's forbidden artifact... it's actually the Great Emperor's forbidden artifact!"

He finally realized that he had not provoked an ordinary invincible king, but the "Emperor's Son" who was backed by the Yan Emperor and possessed supreme treasures!
Don't even mention that you are just a supreme being of the universe. Even if the great Lord of Sirius were to come in person, he would be like an ant in front of this supreme treasure.

"Now, do you think I still need to run?" Ling Feng's eyes turned cold, and the divine power within his body surged wildly into the bronze cauldron.

The small cauldron instantly expanded, transforming from the size of a palm into a giant cauldron several kilometers high. Golden imperial fire spewed from its mouth, instantly incinerating the black divine power wherever it passed, and even burning cracks in the space itself.

The Black Lion Venerable was so frightened that he dared not linger and turned to try to tear through space to escape.

However, the extreme pressure emanating from the "Flame Cauldron" had already locked onto him, and the laws of the universe were forcibly suppressed by the Emperor's might. His body was as if bound by invisible chains, making it difficult for him to even move.

"No—! Lord Yan Emperor, spare my life!" The Black Lion Venerable roared shrilly, his voice filled with despair, but only Ling Feng's cold gaze answered him.

With a flick of his finger, Ling Feng sent the massive Flame Extreme Cauldron crashing down, its golden imperial fire instantly enveloping the Black Lion Venerable.

"Ah—!" A shrill scream echoed through the starry sky as the Black Lion Venerable's divine body rapidly melted away in the Emperor's Fire, his soul being completely burned away, leaving not even a trace of his spirit behind.

In the blink of an eye, a demon race cosmic venerable was completely destroyed by the forbidden artifact, and even the divine kingdom passage was burned by the imperial fire, turning into specks of energy and dissipating into the starry sky.

(End of this chapter)