Swallowing the Stars, Hu Yanbo's Pre-Godhood

Chapter 236 Rapid Progress

"Brother Xiao Feng, this is my Marquis's residence." Di Xuanhong got out of the carriage first and led Hu Yanbo forward.

Since Hu Yanbo clearly chose the Di Xuan lineage, Di Xuanhong's attitude, while still respectful, has become more sincere, warm, and friendly.

He was very tactful and stopped constantly mentioning "Great Sage Xiao Feng".

As Di Xuanhong walked, he pointed to two smaller mansions next to his own, saying, "This mansion on the right has been waiting for its destined owner to arrive. Now, it has finally welcomed its destined owner."

"All servants, guards, and formations within the manor are ready. Brother Xiao Feng, you may move in at any time. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, please give the order and we will make adjustments immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, the barrier around the mansion on the right rippled slightly, and a figure slowly walked out from it.

This person was tall with long, flowing crimson hair, a rugged face, and sharp eyes like a hawk. He was clearly a powerful expert at the peak of the Chaos Realm!

The red-haired powerhouse immediately stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Huyan Bo, saying, "I am Chi Feng, greetings to Great Sage Xiao Feng!"

"Having heard of the Great Sage's mighty name, and to have the honor of seeing him today, is truly a blessing for Chi Feng!"

The Marquis actually invited this newly emerging Chaos Realm Transcendence expert to become his guest minister.

Now, the Marquis's influence and weight will be completely different in the factional struggle among the many first-class marquises in the entire Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom!

Hu Yanbo nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Just then, the gates of Di Xuanhong's own manor burst open, and a group of elegantly dressed young men and women, surrounded by a group of strong and capable guards and beautiful servants, happily poured out.

They all looked quite young, brimming with vitality, clearly possessing exceptional talent. Their gazes toward Di Xuanhong were filled with affection and tenderness as they chattered and called him "Father," while curiously observing Hu Yanbo, this unfamiliar yet unfathomable guest.

Di Xuanhong smiled gently and introduced them to Hu Yanbo, saying, "These are my unworthy children. I hope Brother Xiao Feng will forgive their poor upbringing." He then solemnly addressed the group of young men and women, saying, "Have you not greeted Great Sage Xiao Feng? From now on, Great Sage Xiao Feng will be my guest and your elder."

The boys and girls immediately stopped laughing and joking, and bowed in unison to Huyan Bo: "Greetings, Great Sage Xiao Feng!"

Hu Yanbo smiled and responded to each question.

After exchanging pleasantries, Di Xuanhong led Huyan Bo through the courtyard corridors and into a luxuriously decorated hall.

The hall was already prepared with spiritual fruits and fine wines, their fragrance filling the air.

The three took their seats as host and guest, and Di Xuanhong waved to dismiss those around him before turning to Huyan Bo and saying solemnly, "Brother Xiao Feng, you previously asked me about treasures that could help temper one's will."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and four items floated into the air above the table between the three of them.

"These Beast Diagram, Void Diagram, and accompanying comprehension techniques are unique in their ability to temper one's will." Di Xuanhong pointed to the three items and gently pushed them toward Huyan Bo. "Consider this a small token of my appreciation for Brother Xiao Feng."

After speaking, Di Xuanhong pointed to the fourth item floating beside him—a golden token. The token was engraved with a lifelike, ferocious beast that seemed ready to devour its prey. Just by looking at it, one could feel a fierce and oppressive aura that seemed to penetrate the depths of one's soul.

"As for this item," Di Xuanhong explained.

"This is an opportunity I specially redeemed for Brother Xiao Feng to 'observe the Shadow of the Calamity Beast.'"

Di Xuanhong looked at Hu Yanbo and explained in detail, "Brother Xiao Feng, you can first study the Beast-Catching Diagram that I gave you."

"If you don't gain much, or feel that the progress is slow, then use this token to observe the shadow of the plundering beast."

Among the three, the guest elder Chi Feng, who was sitting at the end, exclaimed inwardly when he heard that Di Xuan Hong was giving Hu Yanbo the opportunity to exchange for the "Shadow of the Calamity Beast".

"An opportunity to observe the Shadow of the Hellfire?!"

"This opportunity to observe the 'Shadow of the Beast' costs 100,000 merit points!"

"This is equivalent to the total amount awarded by the ancient state when it granted guest ministers for their service!"

Although he knew that the Chaos Realm transcended and held a prestigious position far beyond his own, and that the Marquis would certainly try his best to win him over, seeing such a generous gift still left him with mixed feelings.

Is this the treatment given to those who transcend the Chaos Realm?

An opportunity that one might painstakingly accumulate over many years and be unwilling to exchange for was offered up to them the moment they arrived.

The Great Sage Chi Feng sighed inwardly.

"Brother Xuanhong, you're too kind." Hu Yanbo didn't refuse and waved to put away the four items.

Seeing that Huyanbo readily accepted the gift, Di Xuanhong's smile grew even wider.

Upon returning to the guest residence arranged for him by Emperor Xuanhong, Huyan Bo dismissed the steward who was standing respectfully, ready to give a detailed introduction to the various matters within the residence.

With a slight thought, he had a complete understanding of this vast mansion, with its layers upon layers of array formations and restrictions.

"Mohe," he instructed the Beast King beside him, "You may wander freely throughout the manor and find your own place to cultivate. Do not disturb me unless necessary."

"Yes, Master," Mohe replied respectfully.

Huyanbo went straight to the meditation room.

The quiet room was spacious, with smooth, mirror-like walls that reflected his solitary figure sitting cross-legged.

Hu Yanbo's thoughts entered his mind.

[Project Already Paid: Karmic Calamity Sword (Enhanced with Primal Chaos Power)]

Repayment conditions (completing any one of them is sufficient)

[1. Obtain one "Hunyuan Crystal"]

[2. Obtain 300 billion cosmic sands]

3. Becoming an apprentice of the Emperor

"I've obtained three hundred billion units of cosmic sand from the Queen of Fengdu, but the mission is still not complete!"

Hu Yanbo frowned almost imperceptibly. He had already counted the spatial bag given to him by the Empress of Fengdu. The amount of cosmic sand lying quietly inside was exactly three hundred billion, not a penny more or less.

But the system panel is unresponsive?

"Could it be? It's like that again?"

Hu Yanbo's mind stirred slightly, and he transmitted a clear thought to the system panel in his consciousness: "Repay."

Almost the instant this thought arose.

Hu Yanbo then sensed that the mountain of cosmic sand in the storage space had vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by an invisible giant mouth!

[Advance payment for the Karmic Tribulation Sword (Enhanced with the Power of Chaos) (already repaid.]

[Current number of advance payments available: 1]

"Just as I thought," Hu Yanbo sighed inwardly.

"However, we can earn back the cosmic sand once it's gone. Now that we have the opportunity to get an advance and the Beast of Calamity map in hand, the most urgent task is to raise our willpower." Hu Yanbo quickly made up his mind.

Ever since he encountered the Queen of Fengdu, he instantly realized his biggest weakness.

That is, ever since his life level transformed all the way to the Chaos Realm, his mental will has been stuck at the limit of the Chaos Realm, and he has been unable to break through that crucial barrier and step into the God King level.

Even when Hu Yanbo was still the Lord of the Universe, his will was already comparable to that of the Chaos Realm.

As the levels of life continue to break through, the growth of the perfect divine body leads to a slight increase in willpower, reaching the peak of the Chaos Realm in the Eternal True God stage.

He then ascended to the Chaos Ruler, and the leap in his life level finally pushed his will to the limit of the Chaos Realm.

But from then on, even though the perfect divine body continued to grow steadily, the will of the mind seemed to have encountered an invisible ceiling, always hovering at the "limit", infinitely approaching the threshold of the god-king, but always missing that final step.

The transformation at the level of life can no longer directly break through this final bottleneck.

"Even if I hadn't encountered the Empress of Fengdu, but instead a powerful expert with the will of a second-level God King, the difference in their will would have been too great. With just a glance from them, they could have controlled my mind."

"You can't even perform at three-tenths of your full potential."

"Before, I was the only one who could suppress others with my willpower, but now I've become the one being suppressed on the Origin Continent," Hu Yanbo reflected.

"For the time being, I need to focus on building up my willpower."

"I'm drawing upon the will of a first-level God-King in advance," Hu Yanbo thought to himself.

A slight ripple appeared on the inner panel of my mind, and new handwriting slowly emerged:

[Pre-funded project: Will of a First-Level God-King]

Repayment conditions (completing any one of them is sufficient)

[1. Obtain the Beast Stealing Diagram, the Void Diagram, and the accompanying comprehension techniques.]

[2. Secluded himself to study the "Art of the Hundred Years" for thirty years.]

【Do you want to advance payment? 】

【whether】

"The three treasures given by Emperor Xuanhong are indeed just like in the original story, perfectly meeting the requirements for breaking through to the God King's will." Hu Yanbo's gaze fell on the first repayment condition, and he felt reassured.

In the original story, Luo Feng used the Beast Tribulation Diagram to break through to the God King's will in one fell swoop, while at that time Luo Feng was only at the peak of the Chaos Realm.

They are still far behind me now.

As for the second condition, seclusion for a hundred epochs, it seems that time will have to wear down this final bottleneck.

"Advance payment"

As Hu Yanbo touched the option with his mind, an invisible transformation originating from the deepest part of his soul suddenly occurred.

If Hu Yanbo's mental will was previously a piece of steel that had been forged and tempered to its limit, tough and stable enough to withstand any impact at the Chaos Realm level, it had also lost the vitality and sharpness to further sublimate, and was stuck at the bottleneck.

At this moment, this piece of steel seemed to have been thrown into an invisible divine fire, undergoing a complete tempering and reshaping.

As it "becomes harder," the density and intensity of its will rise sharply, enough to directly resist the mental pressure of a god-king.

At the same time, it became more "alive"—the core of will seemed to have given birth to a "life-giving" characteristic.

Even if it suffers severe damage, as long as its roots are not extinguished, it can recover and grow rapidly like a wildfire, making it difficult to be completely eradicated.

This is the fundamental transformation brought about by the will that has stepped into the level of a God-King.

[Advance payment: Will of a First-Level God-King (already repaid).]

[Current number of advance payments available: 1]

Feeling a complete refreshment in his will, Hu Yanbo did not stop.

"Pre-emptive use of the will of the second level of the God-King realm."

Mental panel information refreshed:

[Pre-funded project: Will of the Second Realm of God-King]

Repayment conditions (completing any one of them is sufficient)

[1. Observe the shadows of the three beast raids.]

[2. Secluded himself to study the "Art of the Hundred Thousand Eras".]

【Do you want to advance payment? 】

【whether】

"Observe the shadows of the three plundering beasts?" Hu Yanbo frowned slightly at the first condition.

As for the second condition, Hu Yanbo ruled it out without even thinking about it.

"I originally thought that the observation opportunity given to me by Di Xuanhong would be enough to meet my requirements."

"Now it seems I oversimplified things."

"After all, the leap between each realm of a God-King is much greater than that of the Chaos Realm."

"The first level of the God King realm is nothing special in the Origin Continent, but the second level of the God King realm already makes one a hegemon in the Origin Continent."

"The difference in strength is enormous."

"This also makes the differences between each level of will vast."

"The spiritual will of countless ancient gods is like the level they are at; they can hardly advance even after countless years."

"Moreover, my mental will has only just broken through the threshold of the first level of the God King realm. If I want to jump directly to the second level, it is reasonable for the system to require me to observe the shadow of the calamity beast multiple times for in-depth tempering." Hu Yanbo quickly figured out the key point.

"Observing the shadow of the beast once requires 100,000 merit points."

"Emperor Xuanhong gave me an opportunity, and by becoming a guest minister of the ancient kingdom, I have already gained 100,000 merit points, enough to redeem it again." Hu Yanbo quickly calculated.

"I still have 50 billion cosmic sands from the Qinglan Sect. Even if I suffer a slight loss, I can exchange them for merit points and accumulate enough for a third observation opportunity. It shouldn't be a big problem."

"If we calculate it this way, we can repay the advance quickly!"

"Advance payment!"

Deep within the core of Emperor Xuandu, in the most majestic Emperor Xuan Palace, which seems to be connected to the fortune of the entire imperial capital.

A pair of eyes, seemingly containing the endless starry sky and seeing through the long river of time, opened slightly.

"That little guy who I used to look after so much has already broken through his mental barrier?"

Di Xuan, the ruler of the Di Xuan lineage, is the true master of this imperial capital.

If he so desires, nothing in the entire Imperial Xuan Capital can escape his perception, from the fluctuations of chaotic air currents to the withering and flourishing of a single blade of grass or tree.

As a special person who had been personally greeted by the Empress of Fengdu, Hu Yanbo naturally received a tiny bit of his attention.

Just now, he saw that in the guest elder's residence, the Chaos Realm transcendent named Xiao Feng, at a certain moment, instantly raised his control over his own life aura by several levels.

This is one of the most direct changes brought about by a qualitative leap in one's state of mind.

"But his will has only just broken through to the God-King level, so it's nothing special." Di Xuan's thoughts were calm and unperturbed, showing little surprise. In his understanding, a guy who could reach the Transcendent level in the Chaos Realm had only just broken through the threshold of God-King in his will, so this performance was hardly amazing.

"I wonder what Feng is thinking? Is he planning to take this little guy as his apprentice?"

"With her strength, being a disciple of the Chaos Realm Transcendence should be enough."

A faint doubt crossed Di Xuan's mind, but that was all.

At his level, he no longer easily becomes overly curious about others, especially since the potential the other party is currently showing is not enough to make him take notice.

In the blink of an eye, those eyes, which held the starry sky within them, closed again.

As for taking on apprentices?

Di Xuan was not interested.

Although he didn't have a very large number of disciples, there were some who were exceptionally talented.

When certain distant memories are recalled, a vast expanse of thoughts ripples, but soon returns to complete silence.

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