Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 206 Blood Cloud Palace Master

Cao Benqi felt a chill run down his spine!
The support from the Thorn Ring Alliance arrived so quickly!

In his perception, he instantly sensed several powerful alien auras suddenly erupting from all around.

The figures of the five universe masters appeared almost simultaneously, surrounding him in the center.

Leading the group was an alien race resembling a giant multi-ringed jellyfish, with dozens of metal rings surrounding its body, each ring covered with spikes, and no fixed limbs.

Beside the jellyfish is an amorphous creature formed from lava, with magma flowing across its body. It has no facial features, but can freely extend lava limbs to wield weapons.

The third figure was a humanoid alien wearing sand-yellow armor, whose arms could transform into sandstorms, and who held a whirlwind spear.
A rock-type life form and an energy-type life form followed behind.

They are all powerful universe masters within the Thorn Ring Alliance.

"Lord of the Northern Prison, how have you been?" The voice of the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien race, produced by the clanging of metal rings, carried a mocking tone. "I've long heard that you enjoy hunting down the cosmic lords of small and medium-sized alien races. Does today's 'luring the enemy into the trap' drama suit your taste?"

"You think Wenren is truly fighting alone?" The voice of the lava-like alien was like boiling magma, as it extended lava limbs to grasp a lava longsword. "For countless eons, you have repeatedly targeted the second-tier universe lords of my various alliance forces. Did you think we would remain unprepared? We've been waiting for you all along."

Cao Benqi's expression changed drastically. The five alien universe lords stood in a ring, forming a blockade spanning ten light-years, blocking all his escape routes.

He finally realized that he had fallen into a trap set by these alien races from the very beginning.

"These damned alien races actually set a trap for me." He didn't look for the reasons within himself at all; his movements over the past ten million epochs had been too obvious and too regular.

The former Lord of the Northern Prison was difficult to deal with, not only because of his great strength, but also because he had top-tier palace treasures to rely on, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.

Furthermore, because their whereabouts are unpredictable and they appear and disappear without a trace, no one knows what they are planning to do next or why they are doing it.

The Northern Prison Lord, who reigned for ten million epochs, was solely focused on targeting the weaker universe lords. Over time, the various powers naturally figured out his purpose.

Although I don't know why, the Lord of the Northern Prison now seems to enjoy targeting second-tier universe lords of weak alliances.

"Lord of the Northern Prison, don't you enjoy hunting?" The Blade Master walked to the edge of the encirclement, pointing his battle blade at the other party, his voice full of mockery, "Today I'll let you taste what it's like to be surrounded and killed!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the five alien universe masters launched their attacks simultaneously: the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien's metal rings came crashing down with the force to tear through space; the lava-like alien's lava longsword cleaved out a fire blade tens of thousands of kilometers long; the humanoid alien's sandstorm spear transformed into a whirlwind and swept over; the rock creature spewed out a giant rock impact; the energy-type universe master's corrosive mist enveloped Cao Benqi; and the patterned blade master swung his sword, unleashing a black-gold blade light that aimed straight for vital points.

Countless streams of energy intertwined into a net, enveloping Cao Benqi. The very space was frozen by this oppressive force, making it difficult for him to dodge.

Cao Benqi's eyes darkened, knowing that only a desperate fight would offer a glimmer of hope.

He suddenly activated the Flame God Halberd, which was disguised as a long spear. The spear shone with a strong purplish-black light and swept towards the direction of the gaseous alien race, trying to tear a gap in it.

"Trying to gang up on me? You bunch of lousy basketball association members will pay the price!" he shouted coldly.
The sound of the long spear colliding with the corrosive mist reverberated throughout this desolate star field. The moment the purplish-black energy exploded, a gap was torn in the body of the gaseous energy alien, but this gap was instantly filled by the surrounding mist, without affecting its offensive in the slightest.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cao Benqi charged forward, sweeping his long spear horizontally, shattering the oncoming rocks into pieces. The fragments rained down like a meteor shower, twisting and deforming the abandoned starship wreckage floating in the star field, and sending numerous asteroids tumbling into the abyss of space.

"They do have some brute force!" The multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien's metal rings spun faster, and dozens of sharp spikes rained down like a storm.

The moment the spikes pierced through the void, they left behind trails of black light, and the space around the trails was breaking down into tiny particles at a visible speed.

Cao Benqi dared not take this attack, which was comparable to a fifth-order secret technique, head-on. His figure flashed rapidly, and his long spear danced in front of him, creating an impenetrable array of spear shadows. It blocked most of the spikes, and the few spikes that slipped through grazed his armor. As they were bounced off by the energy, they blasted irregular holes in the void behind him.

"You dodged quickly, but how long can you hide?" The voice of the lava-like alien was mocking as it extended lava limbs and smashed into the void. A fire pillar tens of thousands of kilometers high instantly took shape, carrying a torrent of scorching energy. Wherever it passed, space was burned and distorted, and even light was bent in the torrent, drastically compressing Cao Benqi's range of movement.

Cao Benqi's eyes narrowed, and his long spear pierced the void. The purplish-black energy spread along the spatial patterns, freezing the pillar of fire into a solid energy body. The collision between freezing and burning caused the surrounding void to continuously collapse, breaking into countless floating particle streams.

"These are nothing but unorthodox methods, yet you dare to show off your skills in front of me!" he shouted coldly, his figure rising high, his long spear thrusting straight at the whirlwind spear of the humanoid alien.

"Trying to pick on the weak?" The humanoid alien universe master sneered, his arm transforming into a sandstorm, the whirlwind spear growing tens of thousands of times larger, its tip clashing with the long spear amidst a storm.

The moment the two energies clashed, the storm and the purplish-black mist intertwined to form a vortex spanning two light-years. The void at the center of the vortex completely collapsed, forming a dark area that devoured everything. Cao Benqi used the reaction force to back away. Just as he stabilized his body, he saw the rock creature's body suddenly expand, and countless rock patterns appeared on its surface. The gravity field surging from the patterns instantly distorted the surrounding space and squeezed him from all directions.

"You alien races, all you do is bully others with numbers!" He spoke toughly, but his long spear never stopped, the shaft of the spear bursting with intense energy, and slammed into the core of the gravity field. The shockwave generated by the collision tore several huge cracks in space, and violent energy turbulence surged out of the cracks.

However, as the battle continued, Cao Benqi gradually began to feel the strain.

The attacks from the five alien races were relentless, like a tidal wave: the metal rings of the multi-ringed jellyfish carved closed-loop patterns in the void with each rotation, sealing off large areas of space into a cage; the fire pillars of the lava-like alien race exploded into a rain of fire, each drop scorching a spatial wound several kilometers in diameter; the whirlwind spears of the humanoid alien race stirred up spatial storms, the spatial fragments carried within cutting through everything like sharp blades; the gravitational field of the rock creatures continuously contracted, causing the particle density of the surrounding void to rise steadily, requiring each step to break through layers of resistance.

His attack rhythm slowed down, and the gaps between his blocks gradually widened.

"Damn it, if I had created my own strongest secret technique, how could I be in such a passive position?" Cao Benqi felt extremely frustrated. His identity as the Lord of the Northern Prison had now become a burden to him.

The most powerful secret technique bestowed by the primordial universe has almost become the signature secret technique of the Lord of the Blazing Sun, which he would never dare to use in his capacity.

Otherwise, if his identity is exposed, humans might not protect him, and the Mountain Dweller would also be angry.

"What? Lord of the Northern Prison, you can't hold on anymore?" The multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien's metal rings shot out spikes again, its tone full of mockery. "When you were hunting down the Lord of Literature, why didn't you think you'd end up like this?"

The spikes grazed past the armor, carving three parallel cracks in the void behind them. The negative energy overflowing from the cracks caused the surrounding particle stream to boil instantly, forcing Cao Benqi to dodge to the side, revealing a slight opening.

"Hmph, I've only fallen into your trap temporarily. Did you really think you could trap me to death?" Cao Benqi said defiantly, but he felt increasingly guilty. His divine power was being depleted more and more. Although his divine body was very large, he did not have the ability to create clones and could not quickly replenish his divine power.

Having already lost 7% of his divine power in the secret realm, he had thought that hunting down the Blade Master would be very easy, but he hadn't expected to encounter an ambush. He quickly scanned his surroundings, and the energies of the five alien races had already connected to form an energy dome. Beneath the dome, the void was shattering and dissipating at a visible speed.

"You won't be trapped to death?" The lava alien's magma longsword slashed out with a fiery blade, leaving a black trail in the void. Wherever the trail passed, space completely lost its support, turning into the most basic chaotic air currents. "Today, you can't escape even if you grow wings!"

Before he could finish speaking, the humanoid alien's whirlwind spear suddenly accelerated, transforming into a sandstorm that swept towards Cao Benqi's back.

He hurriedly turned around to block, his long spear colliding with the torrent, and was shaken back repeatedly. His footsteps traversed the void, each step shattering the space beneath his feet into particles of smoke.

Just then, the corrosive mist from the energy-type alien race attacked from the side, enveloping his legs. As the mist corroded his armor, it also created honeycomb-like holes in the surrounding space. Although blocked by the armor's energy, it slowed his movement by half a beat.

"Now!" The Lord of the Patterned Blade seized the opportunity, and the Black Patterned Treasure Battle Blade unleashed a black-gold blade light. Wherever the blade light passed, the void was directly cleaved in two, and violent energy turbulence surged at the cut, heading straight for Cao Benqi's chest.

Cao Benqi hastily turned to the side, the blade grazing his armor. The void behind him instantly collapsed into a black hole thousands of kilometers in diameter. The immense gravity pulled at his body, forcing him to retreat again and completely fall into the center of the encirclement.

"We can't afford to waste any more time!" Cao Benqi thought to himself, his long spear glowing with a deep purplish-black light as he launched a fierce attack on the gaseous alien race.

He knew that although the energy-type alien races could erode space, they were the only beings in the encirclement that could not directly stabilize the void structure. Only by tearing open this place could he have a chance to break through.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" The multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien's metal rings instantly closed, forming a spatial barrier in front of the gaseous alien.

The long spear slammed into the barrier with a deafening roar, causing violent ripples to spread across the barrier. The surrounding void shattered completely due to the impact, and countless streams of particles poured down like a waterfall, yet the barrier remained intact.

At the same time, attacks from other alien races came simultaneously: the fire pillars of the lava-like alien race turned into energy cages, the storms of the humanoid alien race blocked his retreat, and the gravity field of the rock creature suddenly increased, compressing the surrounding void into a dense energy block, completely sealing off his escape route.

"Lord of the Northern Prison, surrender!" The Lord of the Patterned Blade stepped to the front of the encirclement, his battle blade pointing at him. "You are doomed to die today. Surrender and you'll at least have a dignified end!"

"Surrender? Those four words don't exist in my dictionary, Lord of the Northern Prison!" Cao Benqi shouted coldly, suddenly throwing his long spear. Purple-black energy clung to it, transforming it into a stream of light that flew towards the rock creature.

The sudden attack struck the core of the rock creature's gravity field. In its haste, the creature mobilized all its power to stabilize the structure, causing a brief disruption in the gravity field. The surrounding void exploded with a huge gap due to the imbalance of forces, creating a fleeting opening in the encirclement.

Cao Benqi seized the opportunity, his figure transforming into a purple-black lightning bolt as he rushed into the gap.

"Oh no, he's trying to escape!" the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien shouted sharply, its metal rings spinning wildly as it attempted to re-seal the space with its closed-loop patterns.

However, Cao Benqi had already pushed his speed to the limit and managed to burst through the gap. The energy attack behind him grazed his armor and blasted a series of holes in the void he passed through, forcing him not to look back.

"Chase him! We can't let him get away!" the Blade Master roared, taking the lead in the pursuit.

Six alien universe lords followed closely behind.

Cao Benqi fled desperately, but the pursuers behind him were like a persistent, malignant tumor.

He could feel the corrosive mist of the energy-type alien race enveloping his back, and his divine body was being constantly eroded.

The Lord of the Universe of the Ring Alliance clearly did not want to give him a chance. Suddenly, the metal rings of the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien race formed a spatial barrier in front of him. The barrier covered an area spanning several light-years, and the energy patterns flowing on the surface of the barrier were constantly devouring the surrounding void, completely blocking his way.

At the same time, the pursuers had caught up from behind, and the five alien races formed an encirclement once again. The energy around them intertwined, causing the void inside the encirclement to begin to disintegrate at the particle level, with countless tiny cracks spreading like a spider web.

"Lord of the Northern Prison, I told you, you can't escape!" The voice of the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien was smug. "Now, do you have any last words?"

Cao Benqi looked at the constantly collapsing void around him, his face extremely gloomy.

He knew that this time he was truly in dire straits.

"Damn it, why hasn't that old guy, the Mountain-Sitting Guest, shown up yet? Is he really abandoning me?" He hesitated, wondering whether to reveal his and the Mountain-Sitting Guest's identities. "Even if the Mountain-Sitting Guest despises me, it's better than dying here, isn't it?"

"Hahaha, prepare to die, Lord of the Northern Prison!" The Lord of the Patterned Blade laughed as he approached, the golden patterns on the Black Patterned Treasure Blade burning ever brighter, and three stable cracks had been cleaved in the void around the blade. "Your head is enough to make my Thorn Ring Alliance shine brightly in the universe!"

Just as the battle blade was about to strike, the entire collapsing void suddenly froze.

Space was frozen, even the disintegrating particle streams were frozen in place, and the attack energy of the Six Paths Alien Universe Lord was like solidified amber.

A deep voice filled with maniacal laughter surged from all directions, its oppressive aura striking everyone's hearts like a tangible force: "Six bastards ganging up on a piece of trash is annoying me."

Before the words were finished, the crimson void suddenly exploded, and a phantom of a scarlet palace flashed by in the sea of ​​clouds. A figure emerged from the blood-red void—the person wore a scarlet battle robe inlaid with bone spikes, and a hideous blood-red mask covered his face. The light shining through the gaps in the mask was colder than the corrosive mist. The golden curved horns on his head gleamed with a murderous light, and the long tail behind him swept through the void. With each swing, the surrounding space collapsed into blood mist.

No one had ever seen a cosmic ruler like this before. His origins, race, and strength were all mysteries, but his undisguised violent aura sent chills down the spines of even battle-hardened alien races.

"Who are you?!" the multi-ringed jellyfish-like alien shouted sharply. Its metal rings spun rapidly in an attempt to activate the spatial barrier, but it found that its divine power was immediately entangled by the alien's scattered blood threads and was instantly devoured.

Such bizarre methods far exceed their understanding of the known rulers of the universe.

The man in the blood-red robe didn't bother to reply, casually clenching his left hand.

The blood-red clouds suddenly coalesced into six blood-red spears, their tips gleaming with a killing light that would make even the Lord of the Universe tremble.

The moment the spear pierced through the air, six eternal rifts were forcibly torn open in the void. Before it even reached its target, the lava-like alien's divine body disintegrated on its own, and the energy-like mist was scorched by the aura emanating from the blood spear, emitting a shrill scream.

P.S.: The last few chapters are transitional chapters.
(End of this chapter)