Swallowing the Stars: The cheat system only comes when I'm almost a god?

Within the territory of the demon race, in a secret realm of the universe.

In the silent void, wisps of azure whirlwinds howled, and the temple of the Demon Lord Jiaoyun stood at the core of those endless whirlwinds.

At this moment, Venerable Xiaofeng arrived here again.

He was not a pure demon, but a cosmic venerable of the "Silverwing Clan," a subordinate race of the demon race. Although he was subordinate, he made great achievements in the field of space due to his racial talent and had a long-standing friendship with Venerable Jiaoyun.

After following Venerable Jiaoyun into the main hall, Venerable Xiaofeng did not exchange pleasantries and directly stated his purpose: "Jiaoyun, what have you thought about the matter from last time? The opportunity of the Primordial Star opening is not to be missed. If you don't go, I will have to find other powerful individuals to team up with."

Venerable Jiaoyun looked at Venerable Xiaofeng and smiled bitterly: "Xiaofeng, the Primordial Star is indeed a good place for us to obtain treasures, and I also yearn for it."

"However... as you know from your last visit, my worthless disciple, the Azure Dragon King, was defeated and enslaved by Han Li of the human race. This is a great disgrace to my dragon lineage, and the Black Gold Lord of my dragon lineage is furious, ordering me to eliminate him as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Xiaofeng's expression showed understanding: "I have indeed heard about this matter."

Han Li was able to defeat and enslave the Azure Dragon King head-on, so his strength must be at least above the limit of the King-level, or even possibly at the level of the invincible King-level.

"What? More than four thousand years have passed, and you still haven't solved it with your abilities?"

Venerable Jiaoyun's face grew even more gloomy: "If it could be resolved so easily, why would I be troubled by this!"

Han Li was incredibly cunning, and his speed in escaping trouble far exceeded that of ordinary princes.

I meticulously planned and launched six or seven attacks against them, each time mobilizing multiple kings to lay a trap.

But guess what?

Every time before it stepped into the encirclement, this fiend, as if possessed by prophecy, would always manage to teleport away in advance!

His voice was filled with suppressed anger: "That's not even the most hateful thing."

He fled, but instead led the little guys I sent on a whim through a complex star field, and in the end... humph! He ended up plunging headlong into an ambush set up by the well-prepared human camp's king-level powerhouses.

Because of this matter, nearly ten kings of my demon race have fallen, including many highly skilled individuals at the king level.

Now, those kings in the outer battlefields are terrified at the mere mention of hunting down Han Li, and few are willing to take on this hot potato again.

Venerable Xiaofeng nodded slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "It seems that this person is not only powerful, but also has an amazing sense of vigilance. Ordinary encirclement and interception are ineffective against him."

All powerful beings who have reached the King level possess spatial sealing abilities, yet he always manages to escape the sealing range first. This indicates that either his senses are abnormally sharp, or he may possess special detection methods.

"That's exactly right!" Venerable Jiaoyun exclaimed.

"The Lord of Black Gold is now putting all the pressure on me. He has ordered me to deal with Han Li at any cost."

At the very least, we must kill the Azure Dragon King. We must never allow the powerful members of my Flood Dragon lineage to remain slaves to the souls of humans for any longer; it would be a disgrace to my Flood Dragon lineage.

"If this matter is not resolved, I will not be at peace even if I go to the Primordial Star, and I will not be able to explain it to the Lord of Black Gold."

Venerable Xiaofeng stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "Since conventional pursuit and encirclement have failed, we need to change our approach."

Against such a slippery and wary opponent, a direct assault is the worst strategy; setting a trap to lure them into a snare is the best approach.

Venerable Jiaoyun's spirits lifted: "Oh? Xiaofeng, what brilliant idea do you have?"

"I wouldn't call it insightful, just a few thoughts." A calculating glint flashed in Venerable Xiaofeng's eyes.

"As you just said, the failure of an ambush often occurs because the enemy becomes aware of the danger beforehand and escapes."

Then we'll devise a scheme that, even if he's wary, he'll find hard to resist, or rather, he'll be willing to take the risk.

"I would like to hear the details."

"Heavy treasure."

Venerable Xiaofeng uttered two words, while Venerable Jiaoyun seemed to be deep in thought.

He continued, "For a King-level Immortal, a treasure is enough to drive them crazy. It is a great opportunity to enhance their strength, enough to make them risk their lives. I believe that Han Li's thirst for treasure is no less than that of any other King-level Immortal."

Venerable Jiaoyun nodded slightly: "You mean... use a great treasure as bait?"

"Exactly!" Venerable Xiaofeng affirmed. "You took out an ordinary treasure. For us universe overlords, ordinary treasures are precious, but they are not enough to cause serious damage."

However, if this resolves your deepest concern at this cost, your reputation with the Lord of Black Gold will improve, and you'll gain far more than just one powerful treasure in the future.

Venerable Jiaoyun pondered. He did indeed have a few ordinary treasures that he didn't need. If he could get rid of Han Li by giving up one of them, it would be a worthwhile deal.

If the Lord of Black Gold were to look at him with new respect because of this incident, and were to give him even a slight advantage in the future allocation of resources to the clan, the value of such an item would far exceed that of an ordinary treasure.

Venerable Jiaoyun was tempted, but he wasn't cut out for scheming and trickery, so he had to ask his old friend for advice: "How exactly should we proceed? Should we simply place the treasure somewhere and then release the news? That would be too deliberate."

Venerable Xiaofeng shook his head and chuckled: "Of course we can't be so crude. We can't let Han Li feel that this is a trap targeting him personally, but an opportunity that all the kings could compete for."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "I suggest you give this precious treasure directly to a highly respected and invincible king among the demon race in the Ninth Battlefield."

Note that you should give it to him directly and then help him refine it, making him owe you a huge favor.

At the same time, this treasure will also become a component of his power.

A glint of light flashed in Venerable Jiaoyun's eyes: "Wonderful!"

In this way, this precious treasure becomes bait. The invincible king who possesses it will do his best to prevent this matter from attracting covetousness.

Moreover, it's far more natural and persuasive for him to gather the manpower than forcibly issuing orders in his capacity as a respected figure.

"That's right." Venerable Xiaofeng nodded. "After this invincible king refines the treasure, he and his confidants can spread vague news that a treasure may have appeared somewhere."

News travels extremely fast on the battlefields beyond our borders. Rumors about such a precious treasure are enough to attract a large number of powerful figures at the King level in a short time, and our target may very well be among them.

He continued to outline the blueprint: "When the news spreads and a large number of kings gather, the invincible king we have chosen will be able to discover and activate the treasure in time, creating the scene of the treasure's birth."

A fierce battle is inevitable. The invincible king and his secretly connected kings are already lurking nearby, ready to draw Han Li out and participate in the struggle…

"That will be the time to close the net!" Venerable Xiaofeng's tone turned cold: "At that time, the strength we gather will be far greater than the scattered squads you sent out before. With the personal connections and appeal of an invincible king, it will not be difficult to summon hundreds of king-level experts from the demon race and its affiliated races to obey your orders."

In the Ninth Battlefield, the number of Kings of my Demon Clan and its affiliated races far exceeds that of the Human Clan and the Hong Alliance. With the power of hundreds of Kings, we can lay a net of heaven and earth. No matter how sharp Han's senses are, how could he be willing to flee in advance in the face of the temptation of the great treasure?

Even if he sensed something amiss, facing the overwhelming numerical superiority of hundreds of kings, how could he possibly lure the hunter into an ambush as before? He would have no chance of escape then!

The Venerable Jiaoyun was deeply moved, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

Venerable Xiaofeng's plan broke out of the previous vicious cycle of "pursuit and ambush," instead using the natural attraction of the treasure to create a stage for a large-scale melee, and then deploying his own forces with absolute superiority in the center of the stage.

In this way, Han Li's trick of issuing early warnings and luring the enemy into a trap lost its scope.

"Excellent! This plan is brilliant!"

Venerable Jiaoyun clapped his hands in praise, "However, how should we choose the person to carry out this task? There are several invincible demon kings in the Ninth Battlefield. Which one is the most suitable?"

Venerable Xiaofeng had clearly considered this beforehand: "I suggest choosing King Mingcang Feitu."

He was born into the royal family of the demon race, the Heavenly Wolf lineage. Not only was his bloodline noble, but his strength was also among the top in the King-level invincible ranks. He had extremely high prestige in the demon race camp of the Ninth Battlefield, and many Kings of subordinate races also respected him.

More importantly, although he appears rough and unrefined, he is actually very meticulous and shrewd. He also owes my Silverwing Clan a favor, so if I act as a go-between, he should agree.

Furthermore, his prized possession was stolen in a previous battle, inevitably causing a slight decline in his strength and prestige. Your gift of this treasure is a timely and much-needed help; he will undoubtedly do everything in his power to repay it.

"King Fei Tu of the Underworld... is indeed a suitable choice." After pondering for a moment, Venerable Jiao Yun made his decision and looked at Venerable Xiao Feng: "Alright! We'll do as you say."

"I happen to have a Sky-Splitting Claw, which is perfect for the wolf bloodline. I will use this treasure as payment for Fei Tu's leadership of this operation."

His eyes flashed with a cold light: "Xiaofeng, this matter still needs your mediation."

"You shall contact Fei Tu on my behalf and tell him that as long as this matter is accomplished and my Jiaolong lineage is avenged, my Jiaoyun will repay you handsomely in the future."

Venerable Xiaofeng nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

……

Lin Yuan was naturally unaware of the demon race's schemes, as he had already arrived in the Thunder Island plane with his teacher.

A glint flashed in the eyes of the Ice Peak Lord, as if countless ice crystals were being created and destroyed deep within his pupils, instantly completing the scan of the Azure Dragon clone.

A few breaths later, the probing sensation that had made Lin Yuan's soul tremble subsided.

"Indeed, you are a Black Warrior." The Lord of Ice Peak nodded, his smile deepening. "Since you have such potential, the clan will naturally help you move forward."

After saying that, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of icy blue light entered Lin Yuan's body.

Lin Yuan immediately received a notification in his mind about the updated permissions: [Blood Crystal (Internal Exchange Channel) is now open, price: 10 points/crystal].

This price is more than a thousand times cheaper than the bid at the Hongmeng Auction. This is undoubtedly a kind of implicit investment and protection by the clan for a peerless genius.

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Yuan bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Lord of Ice Peak!"

……

With permissions granted and resources readily available, Lin Yuan's genetic advancement was now unimpeded.

Soon, the first batch of fifty Blood Crystals were transported to the Chaos City mansion.

In the secret cultivation chamber within the manor, the Azure Dragon clone once again activated a Blood Crystal. The crystal transformed into a streak of blood-red light and slammed into his chest.

The process of fusion is a torturous forced leap in life level. Even though he is already a Black Warrior, the pain of his body being torn apart and the erosion of his killing will are not diminished at all. It's just that now his bottom line for enduring it has been greatly raised.

One, two... The Azure Dragon's body, relying on its strong will and foundation, devoured this power. Its size gradually expanded in pain, and the golden patterns on its scales became more and more complex and profound.

Just as the Azure Dragon clone was ascending in agony, on Lunna Star, Lin Yuan's true form also began his own attempt.

He opened his palm, and a blood crystal floated silently.

Unlike the ferocity when merging with the Azure Dragon's body, a change occurred when Lin Yuan's true divine power came into contact with the Blood Crystal.

The Blood Crystal emitted a slight hum, and its crimson radiance became docile, bowing as if it had encountered a king, transforming into a trickle of water that actively merged into Lin Yuan's palm.

Even more miraculously, as the energy flowed in, his internal organs, which had unexpectedly materialized when he cultivated the "Divine Power Sea," simultaneously emitted a faint resonance, as if they were receiving timely rain after a long drought, greedily absorbing this power.

Lin Yuan felt much more at ease and quickened his pace.

The second, the third... and so on, until the tenth Blood Crystal successively merged into the body of the main body.

The whole process was smooth and natural, and the pressure and discomfort it brought were far less than the heart-wrenching pain when the Azure Dragon Body fused with the first one.

However, when Lin Yuan looked at the empty container in his hand, a chill replaced his joy.

The exchange records of Blood Crystals are clearly traceable in the virtual universe system, and the flow of each crystal is documented.

As a visible dark warrior, it is perfectly reasonable for Qinglong Shen to fuse a large amount of Blood Crystal.

If the main body only fuses two or three, it can be explained. However, if it continues to fuse without restraint, the total consumption will be seriously mismatched with the Azure Dragon body. Such abnormal data will definitely attract the attention of the clan's higher-ups.

At that time, Lin Yuan's true identity as a Black Warrior will no longer be able to be hidden, and a routine physical examination will be inevitable. His strange characteristics, like those of a Beast God, will surely bring countless troubles, and he may even become the next "Fallen Beast God"!

"We must be careful, extremely careful!" Lin Yuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to continue the fusion.

He sealed away all the remaining Blood Crystals. "I'll use them all for the Azure Dragon Body. When Lawrence becomes the Lord of the Heavenly Eclipse Palace, I'll use his connections to go to the Blood Continent. That's when my true form will be able to improve."