Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 68 God Lord Zhe Luo
"Boy, come with me, let's go see the God Lord." A chilling glint flashed in the crimson eyes of the red-robed Realm Lord Zhebie.

Ling Xuan's heart tightened slightly, but he maintained a calm expression and replied with utmost respect, "Yes, sir."

The moment Ling Xuan stepped into the palace, the scene before him suddenly changed, and a complex cluster of palaces appeared in his field of vision.

The dark red rock buildings were partially obscured by a thick, inky blood mist, resembling giant beasts lurking in the darkness.

The vein-like patterns on the stone wall writhed eerily, as if they were alive, exuding a chilling aura.

With steady and powerful steps, Zhebie led Ling Xuan through the winding, maze-like corridors.

Before long, a purple-gold pyramid-shaped palace appeared in front of them, like a mysterious fortress, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

The guards in front of the palace were clad in heavy, blood-red armor. When they saw Jebe approaching, they nodded respectfully to him, and then, with a heavy rumble, they slowly pushed open the gate.

Upon entering the magnificent hall, a sense of oppression and mystery immediately envelops you.

Deep within the palace stands a vast and majestic throne.

A figure clad in a dark gold robe sat atop it, exuding a suffocating aura, as if he were the master of this world.

"Greetings, Lord Zheluo." Zhebie bowed and greeted Ling Xuan.

"Have you found it?" The God Lord Zhe Luo slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like a sharp scalpel, sweeping over everyone as if he could see through the secrets in each person's heart.

"My lord, I am incompetent and have failed to find the true culprit who killed Lei Bao." Zhebie lowered his head, his body trembling slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Useless." Zhe Luo's tone was as calm as still water, yet it caused the temperature in the entire hall to plummet, as if winter had arrived.

Jebe bent down even lower, almost touching the ground.

"The mission wasn't completed, so why are you here to see me?"

Cold sweat dripped incessantly from Jebe's forehead, his voice trembling: "Reporting to my lord, I have discovered an unparalleled genius in my Blood Luo world and have come to introduce him to you."

He secretly rejoiced that he had brought Ling Xuan along, and kept calculating the merits he could gain this time, which might be his only chance to redeem himself.

"Is it him?" Zhe Luo's gaze fell on Ling Xuan, his eyes seeming to see right through him, making Ling Xuan feel completely exposed under his gaze.

"My lord, this is Cao Benqi. At the Cloud Realm level, he can cultivate in a world-class aura and has already fused with four Blood Crystals."

Jebe quickly explained, his tone tinged with urgency, hoping to salvage some of his image.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Zhe Luo slowly stood up and stepped down from the throne.

"A Cloud-level being can fuse four Blood Crystals? Show me the power of Blood Crystals."

"Yes, sir." Ling Xuan calmed his mind, opened his chest, and with a thought, the vast power of Blood Luo gathered in front of his chest like a surging tide, forming several mysterious and complex runes.

Zhe Luo scrutinized Ling Xuan carefully for a long time before finally speaking, "Not bad, very good, indeed four Blood Crystals." His words carried a rare hint of appreciation.

"Thank you for your praise, sir. There is still much I need to improve." Ling Xuan bowed his head slightly, his attitude humble and polite, showing no arrogance despite receiving the praise.

"Good, your temperament is also good." Zhe Luo patted Ling Xuan's shoulder with satisfaction. "Perfect timing, the once-in-a-millennium Beast God Baptism is about to begin. You should start cultivating with Zhebie. By the way, I've given you special permission to go to the Inheritance Hall to choose a secret technique to cultivate."

"Thank you, sir!" Ling Xuan couldn't hide his joy, his voice tinged with excitement. This was undoubtedly a golden opportunity for him.

“Zhebie, you’ve brought back such a genius for the temple this time, so you’ve done a good job. Go to the Contribution Hall and collect your contribution points.” Zhelu waved his hand. “You may leave.”

"Yes." The two respectfully withdrew from the hall.

As soon as he stepped out of the hall, Jebe let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had just escaped from the brink of death.

The oppressive atmosphere in the hall had made him feel as if he were in an ice cave, and only now did he finally feel a sense of relief. Ling Xuan, however, looked relaxed, as if nothing had happened to him. He asked curiously, "My lord, didn't you say you would have the gods check if I am from beyond the heavens?"

Upon hearing this, Zhebie couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your courage to come to this Immortal Temple already proves that you are a native of my Blood Luo World. Geniuses from outside the heavens who come here for training don't have this kind of guts."

At this moment, because of Ling Xuan's talent and the merit he was about to gain, Zhebie's face became more amiable, no longer as cold as before.

"I see. I have a clear conscience, so of course I dare to come to the Temple of Immortality with you to prove my innocence." Ling Xuan smiled with a simple and honest expression.

"Let's go, let's go to the Inheritance Hall and choose an inheritance to cultivate." Zhebie led Ling Xuan toward another hall, his steps becoming lighter.

"Senior, when will the Beast God Baptism that Lord Zhe Luo mentioned begin?" Ling Xuan asked curiously, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“There are probably still three years,” Jebe said with a smile. “No need to rush.”

Ling Xuan pursed his lips helplessly. He had heard Zhe Luo say that it was almost here, and thought it would only take ten days or half a month at most. He didn't expect it to take so long, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

“Since you’re interested in this Beast God Baptism, I’ll give you a brief introduction,” Zhebie explained patiently. “The Beast God Baptism is a special ritual that can only be performed in the Immortal Temple. It’s similar to how you modified your bodies with baleful energy in the Ancient God Ruins. It’s a way to accelerate the absorption of Blood Crystals. However, it only accelerates the modification of the body and is just a way to develop the body’s potential. It doesn’t increase the upper limit of your ability to absorb Blood Crystals.”

Ling Xuan nodded, seemingly lost in thought: "I see."

Upon arriving at the Temple of Inheritance, Ling Xuan initially intended to randomly select a secret technique to get by.

However, as his gaze swept across the densely packed list of secret techniques, he was suddenly drawn to a secret technique related to body vibration—"Beast God Technique".

Such secret techniques are extremely precious, and only a very few king-level powerhouses among the human race possess them. Ling Xuan's eyes instantly turned fervent.

"I'll choose the 'Beast God Technique' then," Ling Xuan said firmly.

Zhebie was taken aback, then shook his head: "You have good taste, but your standards are too high. Even we world lords can't cultivate this kind of secret technique. I advise you to choose another one."

He patiently explained to Ling Xuan the preciousness and difficulty of cultivating body amplitude-based secret techniques, hoping that Ling Xuan could understand the implications.

"Senior, I'll choose this one. I feel that even if I don't need it now, it will be very useful in the future. I wonder if there will be another opportunity like this to choose a secret technique for free in the future?"

Ling Xuan insisted, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Upon hearing this, Zhebie couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're quite clever. We need enough contribution points to exchange for a secret technique. The 'Beast God Technique' you chose requires a full 100,000 contribution points. By bringing you back this time, I can probably get 1000 contribution points. If I find another hundred geniuses like you, I can exchange for this 'Beast God Technique'."

His words carried a hint of teasing, but also an acknowledgment of Ling Xuan's abilities.

"But sir, can I really take this secret technique for free?" Ling Xuan still felt a little uneasy. This secret technique was extremely precious among humans in the universe. Did Zhe Luo have the authority to do so?
“Lord Zheluo is one of the three supreme deities of the Immortal Temple, holding an unparalleled position. It’s just a secret technique; there’s no need to worry.” Zhebie waved his hand with a smile.

"Since this is your first time visiting the Temple of Immortality, I will take you to pay homage to the great Beast God of my Blood Luo World. You can visit and pay homage to him more often in the future."

"Yes, sir," Ling Xuan replied respectfully.

Afterwards, Jebe led Ling Xuan to the most magnificent building in the entire Immortal Temple complex.

Located at the center of the Temple of Immortality, this temple is like the heart of the entire temple complex, surrounded by other buildings like stars around the moon, exuding majesty and solemnity.

Upon entering the temple, eighteen altars are neatly arranged, but only nine of them contain statues of deities.

Legend has it that during the fierce battle between the Blood Luo World and the extraterrestrial races, many statues were lost. Over the subsequent countless years, these statues have never been collected in their entirety, which has become a great regret for the Blood Luo World.

The nine golden beast god statues are all different in shape, but all are crystal clear and are shaped like a unicorn lizard.

"Is this the great Beast God?" Ling Xuan's gaze was intense, as if he truly admired the owner of the statue.

“Indeed, this is the faith of my Blood Luo Continent, the born Beast God.” Zhebie said respectfully.

(End of this chapter)