Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 227 The Glory of Wu
Zhou Heng's clone stared at the giant gate, attempting to push it open.

"Rumble..."

The heavy, massive door slowly opened inward, revealing a crack.

Zhou Heng's clone flashed and entered.

Behind the door was an even more magnificent and solemn hall.

The walls of the hall are not made of rock, but rather resemble a starry sky barrier, inlaid with countless slowly moving starlight points, forming a mysterious star map.

In the center of the hall, there were no corpses, only a condensed, almost tangible mass of chaotic energy that slowly rotated.

At the core of the airflow, suspended suspended, was a set of tattered, yet still exuding a powerful aura that would move even the strongest beings in the universe.

The armor was ancient and majestic, with the "Wu" emblem on the chest being particularly clear. It was covered with sword wounds and traces of energy burning, as if it had witnessed one earth-shattering battle after another.

Scattered around the armor were fragments of weapons, some dull but of exceptional material.

Just as Zhou Heng's clone's gaze swept over the armor, attempting to perceive its mysteries...

"Buzz!"

The entire hall trembled slightly, and the chaotic energy burst forth with dazzling silver light without warning!

The light did not simply illuminate, but flowed and converged as if it were alive, instantly condensing into a blurry silver phantom.

The phantom's face was obscured, but its eyes, seemingly containing the very essence of the universe's birth and death, were cold, ancient, and indifferent. They appeared to transcend endless cycles of reincarnation, instantly piercing through all obstacles and firmly locking onto the intruder.

A vast and boundless will, like an invisible tide, swept across the entire hall, enveloping Zhou Heng's avatar with an aura of majesty that scrutinized all things.

"Intruder..."

The voice of the virtual consciousness rang out, carrying an unchanging coldness and programmed indifference.

"I am the master of the Spaceship..."

Zhou Heng's clone immediately felt immense pressure, but he steadied himself, his energy body fluctuating slightly as he silently "looked back" at the silver phantom, awaiting what would happen next.

The virtual consciousness's gaze lingered on Zhou Heng's clone for a moment, its cold will scanning him repeatedly, as if confirming something.

A moment later, it spoke again, its voice still devoid of any emotion, yet carrying a judgmental tone:
"Energy life...without a soul...not of our kind. Unable to bear the core inheritance of my Xuan Yan Wu, nor to inherit the supreme glory of 'Wu'. Leave."

It made a direct judgment, concluding that this energy clone, which lacked a soul origin, was not qualified to inherit the legacy of Wu's civilization.

Ling Xuan's mind raced; he knew he couldn't let himself be turned away like this.

The virtual consciousness just now called itself Xuan Yan Wu.

The honor of having the continent of origin followed by the country name is reserved for the most outstanding and powerful individuals.

This indicates that the other party is at least an Eternal-level being, and also claims to be the Lord of the Cosmic Ship. Furthermore, the other party mentioned the Glory of Wu, which may be related to the Wu legacy. In particular, the other party can be buried separately outside, which may be the Saint-level general in Duan Donghekou.

Even the legacy of this saint-level being should not be underestimated; it is enough for emergency use when I go to the Origin Continent.

He controlled the Zhouheng clone and did not immediately retreat as instructed. Instead, he spoke in a tone that conveyed the respect due to a senior expert while maintaining his own composure. His voice rang out clearly in the empty hall:
"Senior, you are wise. This body is merely an avatar used to explore the perilous seas of the universe, not my true life essence. May I ask, senior, what conditions must be met, and what qualities must one possess, to be qualified to inherit the general's mantle and continue the glory of Wu's civilization?"

The light of the virtual consciousness seemed to ripple with an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible quality due to this proactive and clear response.

The icy will focused more intently and meticulously on Zhou Heng's clone, as if trying to see through this energy shell to the essence of the manipulator behind it.

"What kind of life form is your true self? Does it possess a complete soul origin?"

The clone of Zhou Heng maintained a respectful posture and clearly replied, "Reporting to senior, my true self is a pure flesh and blood life form, possessing a complete and flawless soul origin."

"Flesh and blood life...possessing a soul..." The virtual consciousness repeated these keywords, and the light of the silver phantom seemed to become slightly more stable and solidified as a result.

"Hmph." The illusory figure let out a cold, enigmatic snort. "Throughout countless reincarnations, countless individuals have attempted to deceive their way into obtaining the inheritance. Empty words are meaningless; how can you prove it?"

Zhou Heng's avatar responded neither humbly nor arrogantly: "If Senior does not believe me, my true self will arrive in person, and the truth will be revealed. However, I wonder, if my true self is indeed a being of flesh and blood and a soul, would I be qualified to receive the inheritance?"

The phantom remained silent for a moment, its icy will seemingly scrutinizing the truth or falsehood of every word.

Finally, it slowly spoke, its voice echoing in the empty hall: "If one truly possesses a body of flesh and blood, and a soul, one may be qualified to undergo the trial. But the path of the trial is fraught with peril, with nine out of ten facing certain death."

It paused, its tone growing more solemn: "One's will must endure countless tribulations to remain undying, and one's character must see through all illusions. Even if one meets these conditions, one may still perish both body and soul during the trial."

The voice of Zhou Heng's avatar was steady and powerful: "The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens. Now that we have encountered such an opportunity, how can we retreat out of fear of risk? My true self will certainly come in person to accept the general's test."

The virtual consciousness fell into an even longer silence.

The silver phantom seemed to be in a frozen space-time, reassessing the determination and spirit displayed by this "potential successor".

Inside the hall, only the starlight around them moved eternally and silently, while the chaotic energy in the center slowly rotated. In the stillness, an invisible pressure was brewing that could determine whether the flame of a civilization could continue.

It felt like billions of years had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment.

The voice of the virtual consciousness finally rang out again. In that originally icy tone, a trace of extremely faint "emotion" seemed to have finally been incorporated, as if it had been dormant for billions of years and then ignited by a spark of hope. It was an emotion carrying an expectation as heavy as a mountain and a hint of barely perceptible approval:

"good!"

"Only with great courage can one inherit a great legacy! Only with great perseverance can one withstand all kinds of trials! Only with great determination can one face the test of life and death!"

"I, Xuan Yan Wu, await your arrival in person..."

"I hope you won't let this waiting and anticipation, which has transcended endless cycles of reincarnation... return to eternal silence once more..."

As the words faded away, the silver phantom slowly dissipated, merging back into the chaotic current that seemed to contain the mysteries of the universe's birth and death. The suffocating, overwhelming pressure within the hall gradually subsided, returning to eternal silence.

But that heavy expectation, stemming from the last obsession of a glorious civilization, and the endless glory and tragedy silently conveyed by that tattered armor, are like the deepest imprint, deeply engraved in the depths of Ling Xuan's consciousness, and can never be erased.

Zhou Heng's clone took one last deep look at the core of inheritance that carried the last embers and hopes of an ancient civilization. Without any further hesitation or lingering, it resolutely turned around and silently departed along the path it had come from.

Next, it will be my turn to personally face the "Star Prison Trial," a trial known as a matter of life and death, with my flesh and soul!

This concerns the supreme inheritance of becoming a saint or even a god-king, and Ling Xuan is determined to obtain it!
"Hahahaha~" At the Heavenly Court headquarters, in the Lingxiao Palace, Ling Xuan laughed heartily. He had found the inheritance of a Wu Kingdom general, a being who had reached the Saint level. Moreover, there was a slight possibility that the general carried the Wu Kingdom's inheritance. If he could truly obtain the Wu Kingdom's inheritance, Ling Xuan's speed in reaching the 100,000-fold gene-level would be even faster.

Leaving his Nine Nether Sea clone to continue guarding the Heavenly Court, the main body teleported directly towards the Cosmic Sea.

"It's time to hand over the Memory Stone I obtained to the higher-ups of the human race." The Nine Nether clone directly initiated the Giant Axe Conference.

Virtual universe, Temple of the Great Ax.

Inside the ancient temple, figures exuding powerful auras appeared one after another beside the bronze table.

Lord of Chaos City, Lord of Darkness, Lord of Penggong, Lord of Dragon Journey, Lord of Void Gold, and other lords of the human universe were all present.

Finally, on the black throne beside Ling Xuan, that familiar and reassuring aura descended, and the towering founder of the giant axe took his seat.

"Teacher, everyone." Ling Xuan nodded slightly to the founder of the giant axe, then his gaze swept over the cosmic lords present.

"Ling Xuan, why is the Giant Axe Conference being convened so suddenly? Is there some important new discovery on the other side of the Cosmic Sea?" The Chaos City Lord asked gently, knowing that Ling Xuan's Zhou Heng clone had been venturing into the Cosmic Ship for a long time.

“Indeed, there has been an important discovery, and it concerns the future path of the strong among our human race.” Ling Xuan said solemnly, “In the inner domain of the cosmic ship, I accidentally discovered a ‘Tomb Ship’ using the map left behind by the Xuan Gu Lord that I obtained before.”

"The Tomb Ship?" The Dragon Lord's voice boomed. "Is that the legendary Tomb Ship that leads to the resting place of powerful figures from ancient civilizations? It is said that it contains the inheritance of ancient civilizations."

“Exactly.” Ling Xuan nodded in confirmation. “I went to great lengths to successfully enter the Tomb Ship and reach the ‘Tomb Land’ it connected to. In one of the tomb chambers, although I did not find the remains of any powerful figures, I did find a ‘Memory Stone’ that was relatively well-preserved.”

"The Stone of Memory?" The Dark Lord's eyes gleamed eerily. "What kind of information is recorded within it?"

Ling Xuan did not answer directly, but looked at the founder of the giant axe in the main seat, and then his gaze swept over everyone: "Teacher, everyone, please sense together."

With a wave of his hand, he used his access to the virtual universe to simulate and display some non-core but crucial information from the Memory Stone.

Instantly, countless ancient texts and illustrations circulated in the center of the temple. The trajectory of those laws was distinctly different from the system circulating in the current universe, being more ancient, profound, and pointing directly to the origin.

"This...this is a cultivation guide to the ultimate limit of the universe's strongest beings!" Lord Peng Gong exclaimed first, his face full of shock. "So clear...it even explains deeper techniques for condensing divine power, as well as many key points and insights for making the structure of a small universe more perfect, until reaching the limit of a true god!"

"The architecture of a miniature universe has so many intricacies, concerning its future potential." Upon seeing this information, the Chaos City Lord immediately felt uneasy.

He and the giant axe have become the strongest beings in the universe, and their miniature universes have been completed, but they do not know the full potential of their miniature universes.

Especially the giant axe. The opponent was a rough person, and when setting up a small universe, he must have just casually cleaved the chaos with a few axe blows and that was it.

As expected, the founder of the giant axe was also deep in thought at this moment, his brows furrowed.

"That's not all!" The Lord of Void Gold couldn't hide his excitement either. "Look at the explanation of the secret technique on the side... This seems to be a secret technique that we've never seen before, capable of instantly and greatly increasing combat power, but possibly at a relatively low cost!"

All the lords of the universe, including the creator of the giant axe in the supreme position, were intently sensing those messages.

With their level of understanding, they could naturally discern the value of these guidelines.

This is not a single means of attack, but a fundamental beacon illuminating the way forward, whose value is immeasurable for human groups that lack a complete legacy of ancient civilizations.

The Lord of Chaos City took a deep breath and looked at Ling Xuan, his tone filled with confirmation: "Ling Xuan, does this Memory Stone contain a secret technique... that can drive divine power in a special way at critical moments, causing its power to rise rapidly? The principle it describes seems to be completely different from what we know about burning divine power."

"The City Lord has discerning eyes." Ling Xuan nodded, pointing to a section of text with strange energy totems flowing through it. "This is the technique. According to the records on the Memory Stone, this technique is called 'Burning God'."

He explained in detail: "According to this ancient record, cultivating this secret method allows one to instantly ignite their divine power at crucial moments through a unique law structure that resonates with the life imprint, unleashing power far exceeding ordinary levels. Depending on the depth of cultivation and one's own foundation, it is said that when cultivated to its peak, the power limit of the divine power burning and bursting can be increased by several times or even more. And the cost, according to the description in the record, is far lower than our current simple burning of divine power."

"A secret technique for burning divine power? The power is significantly enhanced, but the cost is much lower?!" A cosmic lord found it hard to believe.

This did indeed challenge their understanding to some extent.

In the existing system, to unleash greater power instantly often requires a significant increase in the consumption of divine power.

The Lord of Chaos City pondered for a long time before slowly speaking: "Ling Xuan, this inheritance... its value is immeasurable. Your acquisition of it is a matter of personal destiny."

His meaning was clear: Ling Xuan could possess such a precious inheritance all by himself.

The temple fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on Ling Xuan.

Indeed, such a precious cultivation guide that points directly to the limits of the strongest beings in the universe, coupled with this extraordinary "Burning God" secret technique, is enough to make any strong person, including the strongest in the universe, regard it as a treasure.

Ling Xuan had every reason to possess it exclusively as a foundation for himself and the Heavenly Court.

For a moment, all the cosmic lords within the temple were immersed in shock.

With their level of understanding, they could naturally see how precious this tradition was.

This is not just a secret technique, but a complete cultivation system, and the many concepts it contains have given them a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Ling Xuan remained calm, his gaze sweeping over each pillar of humanity present: "Since I sit in this position, it is my duty to consider the future of humanity. This legacy is precious, but its greatest value lies in enabling our human universe masters to avoid some detours and allowing those with potential to grow faster."

He paused, then continued, "I plan to place this inheritance in the clan's treasury, so that everyone can study its contents. However..."

Ling Xuan's tone turned serious: "I must remind everyone that this is, after all, an ancient civilization's cultivation system. I suggest you use it primarily as a reference, extracting its essence and integrating it into your own path. Do not blindly copy it."

“Well said.” The voice of the Giant Axe Founder rang out, his magnanimous spirit quickly casting aside his worries about the imperfections of his miniature universe. “This legacy certainly needs to be treated with caution. However, many of its ideas can indeed provide us with great inspiration.”

The Lord of Dragons exclaimed, "Ling Xuan, I admire your magnanimity. With this legacy, the overall strength of our human race will surely rise to a new level."

The meeting lasted a long time, with participants engaging in in-depth discussions on how to make good use of this heritage.

Ling Xuan patiently answered the questions of the various universe lords, sometimes exchanging views with the Lord of Chaos City, and sometimes discussing details with the founder of the giant axe, demonstrating his wisdom and foresight as a leader.

After the meeting ended and everyone left, Ling Xuan sat alone in the main seat, his gaze deep.

"With this inheritance as a foundation, my actions in General Xuan Yan's tomb will be much more logical," he murmured to himself. "Once we obtain Xuan Yan's inheritance, the foundation of our human race will be even stronger."

His figure slowly disappeared into the temple.

Deep within the cosmic sea, Ling Xuan's true form was rushing at full speed towards the general's tomb.

(End of this chapter)