Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Chapter 234 The Empress of Fengdu

While Hu Yanbo was discussing matters with the three first-class marquises, at the same time, on another side, in a desolate borderland of the Origin Continent, a magnificent and ancient cyan palace floated.

The palace was quiet, and at its core, a vast array covering most of the hall was in constant operation.

In the center of the formation, a slender figure dressed in green sat cross-legged.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her slender fingers occasionally tapping the air, causing the array's runes to adjust accordingly, as she focused intently on deducing something.

Suddenly, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a look of astonishment appeared on her usually calm face.

"Has Xiao Feng's karma been blocked?" The woman in green opened her eyes and muttered to herself.

Today, out of sheer curiosity, she casually deduced the origins of the seventy-first person to transcend the Chaos Realm.

With her expertise in divination, even a powerful expert at the first level of the God King realm could easily glimpse a faint trace of her abilities through a simple deduction.

But when facing Xiao Feng, it was as if they had run into a barrier.

"Interesting." The surprise in the woman's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a strong sense of inquiry.

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her right hand and pointed at the vast array below.

"Buzz—!"

The entire ancient formation suddenly lit up, and its operating speed increased by more than a hundred times!

Countless secret patterns combined wildly, unleashing profound fluctuations powerful enough to make even ordinary Chaos Realm souls tremble.

The array shone brightly, gradually revealing a hazy scene, as if tracing the river of time or peering into the tributaries of fate, forcibly presenting all possibilities related to Xiao Feng.

Such a level of deduction is so profound that even ordinary second-level God Kings, let alone those in the Chaos Realm, would rarely be able to completely conceal it; at the very least, some clues or power characteristics would be revealed.

However, within the past and future illuminated by the array's light, the portion concerning Xiao Feng remains a pure and untouched realm.

"Protected blank space".

It is not that it is concealed or distorted by more sophisticated means, but rather that its very existence is shrouded and protected by an invisible force originating from a higher level.

The woman in green gazed at the unfathomable void, then slowly withdrew her fingers, and the light from the array gradually subsided. She sat quietly for a moment, her exquisitely beautiful face displaying a complex expression.

"It's actually protection from the supreme rules themselves?" she murmured, this time unable to hide the astonishment in her voice.

She had seen beings favored by the highest rules.

Special life forms like the "World Beasts" are born with the source of destruction, and their growth path is relatively smooth. If the Free World Beasts hadn't been unable to suppress their destructive nature, they could have grown to the ultimate God King realm with smooth sailing all the way.

But she had never seen anything like this before in her long life: that even she could not deduce the slightest cause and effect by using such a formation, and that cause and effect were protected so tightly and thoroughly!

Even the Beast King she once deduced did not receive nearly the same level of favoritism.

"The supreme rules favor him to such an extent—" The woman in blue seemed to be deep in thought, her gaze seemingly piercing through the palace walls, looking towards an infinitely distant direction.

The secrets hidden within a Chaos Realm transcendent being who can receive such protection from the highest rules, and the possibilities for his future, are probably far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

After a few breaths of silence, her aura shifted slightly, indicating that she had made a decision.

"It seems necessary to go and see Xiao Feng while he's still out there."

Inside the main hall of Tingtao Pavilion, Huyan Bo sat alone in the main seat, weighing the conditions offered by the three first-class marquises in his mind.

To be fair, among the three first-class marquises, Di Yanxue's conditions were the most generous.

A one-time supply of 30 billion cosmic sands can solve an immediate crisis. While 10 million per epoch may not seem like much, its advantage lies in its stability and longevity. Moreover, the obligation is clear: one must only exert full force during Heavenly-level missions.

This also grants a great deal of freedom.

There will be additional remuneration upon completion.

By all accounts, this is the most cost-effective option right now.

But... the lineage of Emperor Yan.

Hu Yanbo frowned slightly. He had heard about the basic situation of the three major branches of the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom from the original work.

The ruler of the Di Yan lineage, that Emperor Di Yan, is not someone to be trifled with.

Domineering, assertive, with an extremely strong desire for control, and a rather ruthless style of doing things.

If one becomes too deeply involved with its forces for a long time, or even stays in Emperor Flame City, one will inevitably be drawn into the vortex of internal and external conflicts within its network.

Huyanbo didn't want to attract the attention of an emperor anytime soon.

Just as Hu Yanbo was pondering and weighing his options, "Buzz!"

An invisible and intangible wave spread out without warning, instantly enveloping the entire Tingtao Pavilion and even the area outside the pavilion.

Huyanbo's pupils suddenly contracted!

Within his perception and vision, everything around him—the flowing, chaotic air currents, Mohe standing respectfully to his side, the faint aura of the three first-rank marquises emanating from the side hall, even the pavilion itself, the ground beneath his feet, and the distant mountains—

Everything lost its color in an instant, turning into pure black and white.

Moreover, everything seemed to have lost its sense of reality, becoming ethereal and illusory, like a historical image frozen in an ancient scroll, silent and distant.

Time has been stripped away?

Immediately afterwards, a warm and vibrant blue light, out of place in this black and white world, appeared out of thin air not far in front of him.

The light wasn't dazzling, yet it seemed to be the only vibrant presence in the entire frozen world.

"Xiao Feng, the Great Sage".

A gentle voice resounded deep within Huyanbo's soul.

The blue light gathered, solidified, and transformed into the figure of a woman dressed in a simple blue robe.

Her appearance wasn't stunningly beautiful, but rather delicate and pretty. However, she was surrounded by an indescribable sense of harmony and Daoist charm, as if she were part of the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and every move she made was in harmony with a certain perfect rhythm.

Hu Yanbo was shocked!

He hadn't felt this kind of "heart-pounding" feeling in a long time.

Having achieved transcendence in the Chaos Realm, while not the top level in this Origin Continent, he is still enough to dominate a region. Those who can earn his serious attention must at least be beings of the same level or God-Kings.

But he couldn't even accurately sense the depth of the woman in blue before him!

The mere wisp of aura unintentionally emitted by the other party caused his divine body to tremble instinctively, and his soul to feel a heavy pressure. It was the instinctive fear brought about by the huge gap in life level and absolute power!

"How could such a being exist? How could it notice me?" Hu Yanbo's mind raced.

Although those who transcend to the Chaos Realm are rare and powerful, they are still ultimately in the Chaos Realm. At most, they may attract the attention of some extremely powerful individuals at the first level of the God King Realm or be recruited by the first-class marquises of the two ancient kingdoms.

The one who could possess such terrifying power, making it difficult for him to even have the thought of resistance, must be a giant far surpassing ordinary god-kings!

"The reincarnation technique, is there time to activate it?" Hu Yanbo instantly thought of this life-saving trump card.

"My name is Fengdu." The woman in green smiled slightly, seemingly seeing through the countless thoughts and tension that flashed through Huyan Bo's mind in an instant. "Great Sage Xiao Feng, there is no need to worry. I have no ill intentions in coming here."

Her smile was peaceful, and her eyes were clear; she certainly didn't seem to have any murderous intent or coercion.

"I'm just quite interested in you, Great Sage Xiao Feng," the woman in green added, her gaze lingering on Hu Yanbo for a moment, as if trying to see through him.

Previously, separated by endless time and space, and deduced through array formations, the cause and effect were shielded by the supreme rules, so only a blank space could be perceived.

At this moment, with the other party standing right in front of her, it was difficult for someone of her stature to completely conceal what lay beneath the surface.

Upon seeing this, Fengdu felt a slight sense of doubt.

"Putting aside his strength, his willpower hasn't even reached the level of a God-King." Empress Fengdu thought to herself as she observed Huyan Bo's life level. His life aura wasn't well concealed, which clearly indicated that his willpower wasn't high.

Among all the Chaos Realm Transcendent beings he had seen in his long life in Fengdu, the "Great Sage Xiao Feng" before him was only at the bottom in terms of strength.

This is strange.

Such an ordinary, even somewhat weak, Chaos Realm Transcendence should be considered a figure in the vast Origin Continent, but it is impossible for him to attract the protection of the Supreme Rules.

"Interesting, very interesting." The Queen of Fengdu's interest grew even stronger.

Hu Yanbo also forcibly suppressed the pounding in his heart, turned to the side and raised his hand, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

"Please, senior."

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was completely different from when the three first-class marquises had visited before.

Huyan Bo did not sit in the main seat, but sat opposite the woman in green.

He even personally took out a flask of his treasured spirit wine and poured the other person a full cup. He was very humble, because the other person was fully deserving of it.

"Senior Fengdu, please." Hu Yanbo gently pushed the wine glass towards him.

"The Empress of Fengdu—" Hu Yanbo's mind raced, and scattered information about this being quickly surfaced.

In the earliest days of the continent, before the two ancient kingdoms had established their dominance, the vast territory was occupied by the ancient indigenous people, collectively known as the natives, who were the original rulers of this continent.

Among the strongest of the indigenous peoples, twelve invincible beings were once revered as "God Emperors," each ruling a region and dominating the world.

In that primitive era when even powerful beings from three thousand dimensions rarely ventured into reincarnation, these twelve God Emperors already stood at the pinnacle.

As the long era passed, two ancient kingdoms rose to power, and the influence of the native inhabitants shrank, but the oldest god-emperors did not fall into obscurity.

Each of them possessed extraordinary talent, and even in the early stages of cultivation, when the environment was far inferior to what it is now, they were able to quickly ascend to the level of God King. Now, after accumulating over many years, they are at least terrifying beings at the second level of God King!

Among them, the name "Empress of Fengdu" is renowned, and her strength is unfathomable. She is considered a giant in the top circles of the indigenous people and even the entire Origin Continent.

It's important to understand that while second-stage God-King level experts are rare on the Origin Continent, they are not entirely absent. However, the vast majority of them are still no match for the "Emperors" and "Monarchs" who truly stand at the pinnacle of the two ancient kingdoms; the gap is obvious.

However, the Queen of the Wind City is one of the very few exceptions!

She is recognized as a top-tier powerhouse who is qualified to engage in equal dialogue and even clash with the emperors and monarchs of ancient kingdoms without being at a disadvantage!

Ordinary second-level God Kings probably wouldn't last long against her or the emperors of ancient kingdoms.

These ancient legends, who are far removed from worldly affairs and whose existence is beyond the reach of ordinary beings in the Chaos Realm, and whose exact existence is difficult to even hear about, have actually descended in person, and their goal is clearly to find me.

Hu Yanbo appeared calm on the surface, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind, and countless speculations were churning within him.

After all, facing such an existence, his current trump cards and strength seem pale and powerless.

"Are those three little ones from the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom in the next hall?" The Empress of Fengdu asked casually, as if she were just mentioning roadside plants.

"Yes." Hu Yanbo nodded. "The first-class marquises of the Di Xuan, Di Yan, and Di Wu lineages have come to invite this junior to be a guest elder."

"Guest Elder!" Empress Fengdu chuckled softly. "I've heard that Great Sage Xiao Feng is currently gathering cosmic sand?"

"This junior does indeed have this need," Hu Yanbo nodded.

"What a coincidence." The Queen of Fengdu picked up her wine cup and took a small sip.

"Besides being curious about you, Great Sage Xiao Feng, and wanting to meet you in person, I also genuinely intend to offer you a favor."

The curiosity in the heart of the Empress of Fengdu did not diminish after seeing Huyan Bo with her own eyes; on the contrary, it intensified.

The person before me is ordinary, even weak, among those who have transcended the Chaos Realm.

Why could such an ordinary being trigger such a tight-fitting causal protection from the supreme rules, which even she could hardly see through?

This stark contrast must conceal an astonishing secret or involve unimaginable future causes and effects.

This sparked her even greater interest and led her to decide to make an investment.

"How much more cosmic sand does Great Sage Xiao Feng require?"

The Queen of Fengdu didn't ask about the purpose, but directly asked about the quantity.

For someone at her level, cosmic sand is certainly a form of hard currency, but once the quantity accumulates to a certain level, it becomes more of a number.

Hu Yanbo's mind raced as he quickly weighed the options.

The other party clearly had ulterior motives, but at least had not shown any ill intent before, and seemed genuinely interested in making a deal.

Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Hu Yanbo hesitated for a moment before speaking, "The need is enormous; a rough estimate suggests it would require 300 billion to alleviate our immediate crisis."

Hu Yanbo reported the number required for the system task while keeping an eye on the reaction of the Empress of Fengdu.

The word "drift" is nothing unusual for any Chaos Realm expert.

But this does not include Fengdu still being the emperor.

"Can."

The Empress of Fengdu remained silent.

"You can have this 300 million kilos of sand."

"However, it's not without its costs."

Hu Yanbo tensed up, knowing that the crucial moment had arrived.

The other party must have ulterior motives for paying such a huge sum of money.

The Emperor's gaze remained calmly fixed on him as he continued, "I will give you the time of a Water Era."

"If you cannot break through and become a God-King within the First Water Era," she paused slightly.

"Then they entered the well and obeyed the well's commands."

"One Chaos Realm Transcendence is barely enough."

This condition sounds a bit harsh. The First Water Era is not a long time for the Chaos Realm, and breaking through to the God King realm is extremely difficult.

"Of course—" Emperor Fengdu changed the subject.

"If you can successfully ascend to the rank of God-King within the Water Era."

"Then, depending on the circumstances, Jing will seek a genuine opportunity for you—an opportunity that might greatly benefit you as you begin your journey to the realm of the God-King."

The two conditions, one restrictive and one encouraging, placed both the choice and the pressure on Huyanbo.

To accept the Three Dukes of the Universe Sand, one must attempt to become a God-King within the One Water Era. Success will bring greater rewards, while failure will cost one's freedom.

The Empress of Fengdu's actions have further bound the mysterious Chaos Realm being before her, who is subject to the highest rules of love and is full of enigma, to Zipo.

Regardless of success or failure, she has not lost out.