Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 209 Cao Benqi: This old bastard actually did this behind my back...

As time passed and stars revolved, the Kyushu Empire, a medium-sized universe kingdom under the jurisdiction of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, finally discovered this drifting human planet through interstellar monitoring.

Initially, the Imperial high command regarded this place merely as a secret base for space pirates operating overseas, speculating that these outlaws were hiding here to evade Imperial pursuit.

Therefore, it did not pay much attention to it, nor did it take any substantial intervention measures.

At the same time, the Scorpion Demon Clan, a demon clan alliance bordering the territory of the Nine Provinces Empire, also sensed the unusual energy fluctuations in this star field.

They mistakenly believed that the human race had become interested in this desolate star system and was opening up new territory here.

As a powerful vassal race dependent on the demon race, the Scorpion Demon Clan would never dare to act rashly or challenge the rising human race without clear instructions from the demon race—after all, this is not an extraterritorial battlefield where one can kill at will.

If they dare to attack the territory that humanity has already recognized, or even exterminate a human planet, the resulting rage among the human race will be far beyond what they can bear.

Therefore, the Scorpion Demon Clan has always adhered to its duty as a buffer zone between the two races, carefully avoiding any contact with the humans on this planet.

Time flies, and thousands of eras have quietly passed.

Human civilization on this planet has finally developed to the point where it can set foot in the stars and has begun to actively make contact with the vast universe.

Faced with the boundless and unfamiliar starry sky, this human race is filled with boundless curiosity about the unknown and shows a strong desire to explore, while at the same time always maintaining an innate vigilance.

They first launched a large number of unmanned probes into the surrounding star system to systematically collect data on the cosmic environment, interstellar routes, and traces of potential civilizations.

Throughout the entire process, they maintained signal silence and made every effort to avoid revealing their presence.

After detecting traces of activity from the Kyushu Empire and the Scorpion Demon Clan, they did not approach rashly. Instead, they cautiously analyzed the intercepted interstellar signals to understand the hierarchical structure and behavioral rules of the external civilization.

Faced with the cautious stance of this nascent civilization, the Kyushu Empire and the Scorpion Demon Clan temporarily maintained their original attitudes.

The Nine Provinces Empire still regards it as a "marginal human settlement" and has not invested much diplomatic resources in it; the Scorpion Demon Clan, on the other hand, continues to wait and see because it has not received clear instructions from the demon clan's high command.

Neither side had any substantial conflict with this nascent human civilization, and this human group steadily advanced its understanding and contact with the outside universe through alternations of "curious exploration" and "cautious dormancy."

Hidden in the void, Puti, who was watching over the human race for his teacher, Sitting Mountain Guest, gazed at the human spaceships that cautiously moved forward like fireflies in the star field below and couldn't help but nod in approval.

In his deep gaze, although this human race seemed incredibly weak, with individual combat strength far inferior to most races in the universe, he had a strong premonition.

This seemingly barren soil will surely give birth to a powerful figure who will shake the world.

This reminded him of his second junior brother Cao Benqi's Yan God Clan, who also rose from humble beginnings to eventually demonstrate potential that made the universe take notice.

However, this human race is subtly different from the Flame God Clan: the Flame God Clan relies on physical evolution and genetic breakthroughs, while these humans seem to be superior in terms of resilience and malleability at the soul level.

However, Puti knew perfectly well that an even more severe challenge lay ahead for this human race.
How to truly integrate into and join the mainstream of human civilization.

Although they are all human and live on the edge of human territory, their future fate will be extremely tragic if they cannot gain formal recognition from the human empire.

He couldn't help but wonder to himself: Faced with this problem that concerns the survival of the tribe, will Teacher Zuoshanke really lend a helping hand?

Humans, as one of the most advanced races in the universe, have always been known for their assertive style of doing things.

When waging war against foreign powers, they are ruthless and never tolerate any provocation from other races; when managing their own affairs, they also follow the law of the jungle, where weaker branches or settlements are easily swallowed up by stronger forces.

If this human race could be discovered and accepted by the Kyushu Empire and become official citizens of the universe, that would be the best outcome. However, if they were targeted by ruthless space pirates, they would be powerless to resist given their current abilities as novice astronauts, and would ultimately become slaves, never to rise again.

However, the inherent cautiousness of this human group made Puti feel somewhat at ease.

Even though they had discovered the powerful empire so close at hand, they did not rush forward to "claim kinship." Instead, they maintained a steady pace, relying on the exploration data accumulated by generations to gradually understand this behemoth.

This calm and unhurried attitude has bought them valuable time to grow.

Those space pirates active on the borders, due to their limited strength, dare not easily leave human territory for long-distance adventures.

They knew perfectly well that if they were to fall into the hands of the demon race, their fate would be a hundred times worse than if they fell into the hands of the Nine Provinces Empire: if they fell into the hands of their own kind, they would at most die; but if they fell into the hands of the demon race, the other party might enthusiastically discuss "where to start eating is the most delicious" and "how many meals this batch can last", and might even raise them on a large scale as "meat people", so that their descendants would become a sustainable food source for the demon race.

The hands of the cosmic clock have quietly turned another million years.

Finally, a brilliant and exceptionally talented leader was born in this human race.

Based on the exploration data accumulated by his race over millions of years, he thoroughly understood the distribution of power and the laws of survival in the outside universe. In the end, before the space pirates discovered them, he successfully led the entire race to join the Kyushu Empire and obtained legal cosmic citizenship.

Upon witnessing this scene, Puti, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

He knew in his heart that if the race that his teacher, the Mountain Hermit, had painstakingly guided and created would eventually become food for the demon race or slaves of space pirates, even if his teacher seemed indifferent on the surface, he, as the disciple, could not sit idly by.

Now that the tribe has successfully integrated into the empire, they have at least avoided the most dangerous fate of annihilation.

But what Puti didn't know was that in the remote, desolate place on the edge of the universe, the Mountain Dweller was also gazing in the direction of Earth, nodding slightly in satisfaction.

When the Flame God Clan was born, the Human Alliance had not yet been established. The cosmic environment at that time was much more relaxed than it is now, and there was not as much competition among powerful beings as there is now.

With their powerful physical talents, the Flame God Clan easily produced super strong individuals, allowing them to easily gain a foothold in an era when the universe generally lacked top-tier combat power.

But the performance of this human race before him was more satisfactory than that of the Yan God Clan back then.

Increased genetic potential and enhanced physical talents can be accumulated gradually over time and with resources; however, the resilience of character and the accumulation of wisdom are innate and unchangeable qualities, and this human race has demonstrated these two points to the fullest extent.

Just as the mountain dweller was filled with emotion, a fiery red figure fell rather disheveled in the center of the courtyard. It was Cao Benqi, who had just returned from the Cosmic Sea.

"Teacher, you wanted to see me?" Cao Benqi asked impatiently as soon as he landed, his tone tinged with doubt. He still bore the marks of the fierce battle in the cosmic sea, and his divine power was noticeably weaker than when he left.

For over ten million years, he has been venturing into the vast ocean of the universe.

Initially, taking advantage of the information gap caused by the lack of understanding of him by the powerful beings in the cosmic sea, he managed to kill two cosmic lords from the second reincarnation era relatively smoothly.

At that time, the other party did not dare to easily seek revenge because of the great reputation of the founder of the giant axe and the resounding prestige of the "Four Great Geniuses" of the human race.

However, his good fortune didn't last long, and he later unfortunately encountered a lone powerhouse from the first reincarnation era.

That being showed no respect to the human race whatsoever, and with a single move, it exposed his true form, leaving him in a sorry state.

Since then, Cao Benqi has never achieved any decent results in the Cosmic Sea. Instead, he has suffered repeated defeats and setbacks.

His hasty return was due to his encounter with several powerful figures during an adventure in the Cosmic Sea, during which he lost a significant amount of divine power and had to return to the relatively safe Primordial Universe to lay low. Coincidentally, the Primordial Star was about to reopen, and he planned to try his luck there to see if he could find an opportunity to turn things around.

I didn't expect that as soon as I got back, that old guy, Zuoshanke, would call me over.

"Cao Benqi, in these ten million years, how many universe lords have you killed in the Cosmic Sea?" Sitting Mountain Guest, in a good mood, summoned this good-for-nothing disciple to his side.

Although he had long been disappointed in Cao Benqi, Cao Benqi was still his personal disciple, and he had treated him as his own son for many years.

Even when he was extremely disappointed, he never thought of giving up on this disciple completely.

"Two. Teacher, the goal you set for me is simply impossible to achieve, it's too difficult!" Cao Benqi couldn't help but complain, "To kill ten Universe Lords, how many powerful forces and reclusive experts would I have to offend?"

"So I specifically sent you to the Cosmic Sea for training?" The Mountain Guest replied calmly. "Aren't there quite a few lone powerhouses under the Ancestral God Sect in the first and second reincarnation eras of the Cosmic Sea? Why don't you go and hunt them down? If you hadn't failed to make good use of your identity as the Lord of the Northern Prison, you wouldn't have ended up in this predicament today."

Upon hearing this, Cao Benqi sneered inwardly: This old fellow makes it sound so easy! Which of those powerful figures in the Ancestral God Sect didn't come from a special life form? Each of them had cultivated for one or two reincarnation eras, and the weakest among them was at the level of a fourth-order Universe Lord. They had accumulated countless treasures over the long years.

He has only cultivated for over ten million epochs, which is less than one ten-thousandth of a cycle. How could he possibly fight head-on against those old monsters who have lived for countless years?

"Teacher, this task is not something a normal person can complete, is it?" Cao Benqi retorted in frustration. "Even if someone could complete it, it would take an unimaginably long time, right? I've only been a universe master for a little over ten million epochs, and my cultivation path is still very long."

Seeing this, the mountain hermit could only shake his head in disappointment—he should never have had any expectations of this disciple in the first place.

He couldn't help but think to himself, if it were that Yan Emperor, in the span of more than ten million epochs, let alone ten universe lords, even if the other party really made a move, probably the thousands of universe lords in the primordial universe wouldn't be enough for him to kill, and even several of the strongest beings in the universe would perish.

After secretly envying the founder of the giant axe's good fortune, the Mountain-Sitting Guest flipped his hand, and a completely transparent, exquisitely crafted suit of armor, seemingly carved from a single, enormous diamond, appeared in his palm.

Countless secret patterns flowed and shifted on the surface of the armor, sometimes clearly visible and sometimes hidden.

"Teacher, what is this?" Cao Benqi's eyes instantly lit up with surprise. Could it be that this old guy has finally realized how outrageous the task he assigned was, finally understood his difficulties, and is going to turn over a new leaf and become a kind and good teacher?
"This item is called the Calamity Armor." The Mountain-Sitting Guest's tone remained calm and even. "Like the Flame God Halberd and the Primal Soul in your hand, it is a top-grade supreme treasure, second only to the strongest supreme treasure. It has three forms: The first form requires a billion times the power of a World Lord to activate, weakening material attacks to one-thousandth and soul attacks to one-tenth, while also granting the user a hundred billion times the power of a World Lord; the second form requires a hundred billion times the power of a World Lord to activate, weakening material attacks to one-ten-thousandth and soul attacks to one-tenth, while also granting the user a trillion times the power of a World Lord; the third form requires a hundred trillion times the power of a World Lord to activate, weakening material attacks to one-hundred-thousandth and soul attacks to one-tenth, while also granting the user a hundred trillion times the power of a World Lord."

Cao Benqi became more and more excited as he listened. If he could activate the third form, he would be practically invincible in the primordial universe!
This armor's protective capabilities are even stronger than some of the most powerful and rarest armors. It should be noted that even the most powerful and rarest armors can usually only reduce attacks to one ten-thousandth of their original strength; they simply have higher damage tolerance and damage reduction thresholds.

The ultimate treasure's tolerance limit already exceeds that of the top-tier sixth rank, and with the perfect protection of the soul by the original soul, he can indeed roam freely in the primordial universe!

"This disciple thanks Master for his grace!" Cao Benqi hurriedly reached out his hand, afraid that if he was a second too late, this peerless treasure would disappear before his eyes.

"Hmph, don't be too happy yet. This treasure isn't for you," the Mountain-Sitting Guest said coldly. "It's just temporarily entrusted to you for safekeeping. When your third junior brother reaches the strength to use the Calamity Armor, you must return it to him intact."

Cao Benqi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his anger surging and rising wildly as if hot oil had been poured over it.

Third junior brother? When did he ever have a third junior brother?

This old bastard actually secretly trained a new successor behind his back!

The Mountain-Sitting Guest seemed completely oblivious to his lapse in composure, and continued speaking to himself: "The Flame God Clan was a race that I guided to be born before the creation of the Human Alliance. It was an important experiment."

He lightly tapped the void with his fingertip, and a clear phantom image of that azure planet immediately appeared. "And this human race before me is a completely new race that I recreated and meticulously crafted based on the successful model of the Yan God Clan. I abandoned the natural advantages of the Yan God Clan in terms of divine bodies and genes, and instead strengthened their soul resilience and mental wisdom to the extreme."

Cao Benqi's fingernails dug deeply into his palms, and countless emotions surged in his mind like a raging ocean.

He finally understood why his teacher had become increasingly indifferent to him over the years—it turned out that the teacher had long since set his sights on a new goal!
"When a true leader is born in this race and passes all the tests I set, he will become my third personal disciple, on equal footing with you." The Mountain Hermit's voice remained calm, but every word pierced Cao Benqi's heart like a needle. "This Calamity Armor is a protective treasure prepared for him, equivalent to your original soul. In addition, I am also personally refining a top-grade palace-type treasure. I expect his attainments in the path of the soul should be quite good, and that palace treasure can also be used as a psychic weapon."

A supreme treasure of the palace category!

Cao Benqi felt a surge of heat rush to his head—he had been cultivating with his teacher for so long, and apart from the Flame God Halberd and the Primal Soul bestowed upon him at the very beginning, when had he ever received such a precious treasure tailored to his needs?
This old man is so devoted to his unborn "third junior brother," yet he scolds him, his legitimate direct disciple, at every turn, and is even stingy with bestowing upon him a new treasure!

A burning rage surged within him, threatening to breach the dam of reason, but he ultimately dared not reveal the slightest sign of his inner turmoil to the mountain dweller.

He knew perfectly well that his current strength was entirely dependent on his teacher's support. Once they completely broke off relations, not only would it be impossible for him to continue killing universe masters to complete missions and obtain cultivation resources, but even establishing himself in the perilous universe sea would become extremely difficult.

After taking several deep breaths, Cao Benqi forcibly suppressed the resentment surging in his eyes, slowly withdrew his hand that was frozen in mid-air, and bowed respectfully: "Disciple understands, and will certainly keep the armor safe and await the birth of Third Junior Brother."

"Hmm, good that you understand." The Mountain Guest nodded in satisfaction and casually tossed the armor to him. "Go on, when the Primordial Star opens, go there and see if you can find any opportunities. Don't keep disappointing me."

Cao Benqi accepted the crystal-clear armor. The icy touch spread throughout his body from his fingertips, but it did nothing to extinguish the burning hatred in his heart. He tightly gripped this treasure that did not belong to him, lowered his head, and replied in a deep voice, "Yes, teacher."

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a streak of fiery red light and hurriedly left. Only after flying several light-years away and confirming that the Mountain Guest's divine sense was no longer paying attention to him did he suddenly stop.

Gazing at the shimmering, crystalline armor in his hand, Cao Benqi's eyes were filled with sinister malice and ruthlessness: "Third junior brother? Hmph, I want to see for myself what extraordinary abilities this old man's disciple, who is so pampered, possesses! If he dares to block my path in the future, even with this armor protecting him, I will make sure he dies without a burial place!"

The venomous whispers gradually dissipated in the cold interstellar space. Cao Benqi turned and sped off towards the direction where the Primal Star was about to open. However, his departing figure was even more gloomy and cold than when he came, as if it carried an unyielding darkness.

(End of this chapter)