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

Crimson Flame Secret Realm, Blazing Cloud Continent.

The Misty Basin, where the former site of the inheritance once stood, has long since returned to peace, while the Blazing Cloud Continent is more bustling than ever before.

In the center of the continent, a magnificent palace built of crimson-gold crystal floats in mid-air, surrounded by nine halos of flames, exuding an aura of majesty.

This is the venue where the Lava Master held a banquet to celebrate his breakthrough.

The palace has a vast interior space, large enough to accommodate thousands of people for a banquet at the same time.

At this moment, more than a hundred guests had gathered in the hall, most of whom were Universe Venerables, and the rest were King-level Immortals who had a past relationship with Lava Venerable or had a deep background.

When Lin Yuan arrived with several powerful figures from the Virtual Universe Company, the banquet was already halfway through.

"The Chaos King has arrived!"

"Is that Venerable Yan Yue's disciple? He certainly has an extraordinary bearing."

Lin Yuan's arrival sparked a murmur of discussion.

Many cosmic venerables cast their gazes upon him, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and some with admiration.

The Lava Venerable immediately came forward. Today, he was dressed in crimson-gold armor, with faint flame patterns flowing around his body, and his aura was even more profound than it had been half a year ago.

"Chaos King, you've arrived!" Lava Venerable beamed. "And who are these gentlemen?"

Lin Yuan stepped aside and introduced, "These are my colleagues from the Virtual Universe Company—King Mingguang, King Liuyun, and King Tiangong. They heard that Your Excellency was holding a banquet, so they came together to offer their congratulations."

King Mingguang and his two companions quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Venerable Lava."

"No need for formalities." Venerable Lava warmly invited everyone to take their seats. "It is my honor that you all could come. Especially Chaos King, if it weren't for you back then..."

"You're too kind, Venerable One," Lin Yuan interrupted with a smile. "Today is your celebration; there's no need to dwell on the past."

Lava Venerable understood and said no more. He then personally led Lin Yuan and the others to a seat near the main seat.

This position was quite conspicuous, and those sitting around him were all cosmic venerables, which showed how much Venerable Lava valued Lin Yuan.

The banquet continued.

Fine wines and delicacies were served in a continuous stream, all of which were rare treasures in the universe.

In the center of the hall, fire spirits danced gracefully, attracting many guests to watch intently.

Several Cosmic Masters who were on good terms with Lava Master took turns to give speeches, congratulating him on his breakthrough.

The Lava Venerable responded to each question with humility and modesty, repeatedly emphasizing that his success today was entirely due to the support of the Hong Alliance and the human race.

This statement earned the approval of many human venerables present.

Lin Yuan sat quietly at the table, talking in hushed tones with Prince Mingguang and the others.

"Brother Lin, look over there," King Mingguang transmitted his voice, gesturing towards a corner of the hall.

Lin Yuan looked in that direction and saw several Venerables from the Hongmeng alien races sitting there, occasionally glancing at Venerable Lava with a hint of envy and jealousy.

"The Lava Venerable's meteoric rise has likely thrown many people off balance," King Mingguang transmitted telepathically. "Especially those who have been stuck at the Cosmic Venerable realm for countless epochs, seeing him directly possess the combat power of a hegemon..."

"That's inevitable," King Liuyun said softly. "However, Venerable Lava is very clever. He has adopted a very humble attitude, which should be able to resolve a lot of resentment."

King Tiangong nodded: "Indeed, if he were to celebrate grandly within his own tribe's territory, that would truly arouse envy and resentment."

As the group was talking, Venerable Lava arrived at Lin Yuan's seat and personally offered him a toast.

"Chaos King, this cup is a toast to you." The Lava Venerable raised his cup. "No matter how you see it, I will never forget the kindness you have shown me."

Lin Yuan rose and raised his cup: "Your Excellency is too kind. Let us drink together."

The two drank it all in one gulp.

Venerable Lava offered another cup to King Mingguang and the others before turning to the other guests.

The banquet lasted for three whole days.

On the evening of the third day, the guests began to take their leave one after another.

Lin Yuan, along with King Mingguang and others, bid farewell to Venerable Lava.

"Leaving so soon?" Venerable Lava was reluctant to part with him. "Why don't you stay a few more days? I still have some questions I'd like to discuss with the Chaos King."

Lin Yuan shook his head and smiled, "The Venerable One should take time to adapt to his rapidly increasing strength. We shouldn't disturb him too much, and besides, we still have matters to attend to at the company."

Seeing this, Venerable Lava did not insist on keeping them any longer and personally escorted Lin Yuan and the others to the outside of the palace.

"Do you all wish to return to the headquarters of the Virtual Universe Company?" Venerable Lava asked.

"We could only come by airship because we didn't leave any divine power coordinates in the Crimson Flame Secret Realm; but we can go back by using the Divine Kingdom teleportation, as the company has a fixed passage nearby."

The Lava Venerable knew: "I know that teleportation point. It's located at Star Anchor Station, three light-years east of the Blazing Cloud Continent. How about I send you there?"

"There's no need to trouble you, Venerable One," Lin Yuan politely declined. "The Star Anchor Station is guarded by company troops; it's very safe."

After thinking for a moment, the Lava Venerable decided not to insist any further: "Very well, everyone, have a safe journey."

"Take care, Your Excellency."

After bidding farewell to Lava Venerable, Lin Yuan and his companions boarded King Mingguang's spaceship and headed towards Star Anchor Station.

Star Anchor Station is a silver-white metal building that floats in the void, shaped like a giant anchor, surrounded by dozens of layers of energy shields.

This is an important transportation hub established by Virtual Universe Company in the Crimson Flame Secret Realm, with a dedicated divine kingdom teleportation channel connecting it to the company headquarters.

The spacecraft landed in the docking area outside the star anchor station, and the four people entered the station after their identities were verified.

The station was spacious, and apart from a few immortal gods stationed there, there were no other personnel.

"It seems we're the last batch," King Mingguang laughed. "The other kings who attended the banquet should have been teleported back long ago."

The person in charge of the teleportation array was an immortal who had been granted the title of Marquis. Upon seeing Lin Yuan and the others, he quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, esteemed lords. The Divine Kingdom teleportation is ready and can be activated at any time."

Lin Yuan nodded: "Then let's begin."

The four stepped into a circular platform with a diameter of 100 meters. The ground was engraved with complex spatial patterns, and twelve silver metal pillars stood around it.

As the four people stood still, the twelve metal pillars simultaneously lit up with a silver light, and the space began to fluctuate.

However, just as the teleportation was about to begin—

"boom!"

The entire star anchor station suddenly shook violently, as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand!

"What's going on?!" King Mingguang's expression changed drastically.

King Liuyun and King Tiangong were instantly on alert, their divine power surging.

Lin Yuan's pupils shrank sharply. He sensed three terrifying auras descending from the void, each far exceeding the King-level!

"Cosmic Venerables! And there are three of them!" Alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Click—click—"

The energy shield surrounding the Star Anchor Station shattered layer by layer like glass, and the station itself began to disintegrate.

Through the shattered dome, Lin Yuan saw three towering figures emerge in the void—

The leader was a blue dragon over twenty kilometers long, its scales shimmering with metallic luster, and its golden vertical pupils burning with raging fury.

It was none other than the cosmic overlord of the Jiaolong lineage—Venerable Jiaoyun!

On the left is a serpentine creature shrouded in gray mist. It has no eyes, but a constantly rotating, brownish-black vertical eye in the center of its forehead, emanating an eerie mental fluctuation.

The Soul Master of the Samsara Brown-Eyed Serpent lineage—Dream Demon Venerable!

On the right is a giant made entirely of black rock, several kilometers tall, exuding an aura as heavy as the earth.

Xiaoyan, the master of the Rock Demon lineage!

The three demon clan venerables appeared at the same time and launched an attack without any mercy as soon as they appeared.

"Die, Han Li!" Venerable Jiaoyun roared, his dragon claws tearing through the void, slamming into the collapsing Star Anchor Station with the power to destroy everything.

At the same time, the dark brown vertical eye on the forehead of the Dream Demon Venerable suddenly opened, and an invisible soul shockwave shot straight at Lin Yuan.

Xiao Yan Venerable slammed his fists into the void, and a terrifying gravitational field instantly enveloped the entire area, completely locking down the space and preventing anyone from escaping.

The combined power of the three Venerable Ones is enough to annihilate an entire star field in an instant!

"No--!"

King Mingguang, King Liuyun, and King Tiangong only had time to utter a desperate cry before their divine bodies shattered and their consciousness was annihilated by Venerable Jiaoyun's attack.

At the same time, Lin Yuan also felt an irresistible force descending. He tried to use a secret technique to escape, but the surrounding space was completely locked, and he could not even teleport.

"Is it about to perish...?" This thought flashed through Lin Yuan's mind.

At that moment, the Dream Demon Venerable's soul attack pierced through all obstacles and directly struck Lin Yuan's soul.

however--

"Buzz!"

His soul impact, which was enough to severely injure an ordinary universe venerable, struck Lin Yuan without causing the slightest ripple.

"What?" The Dream Demon Venerable sensed the attack feedback and was horrified.

At this moment, Venerable Jiaoyun's dragon claws had completely descended.

"Boom—!"

The entire Star Anchor Station, along with the immortal deities stationed there and Lin Yuan and his companions, vanished into nothingness.

Space shattered, laws became disordered, and a brief black hole formed in that area, devouring all surrounding matter and energy.

A few breaths later, three figures emerged from the void. They were Lava Venerable and two human Venerables who were on good terms with him—Hurricane Venerable and Blazing Light Venerable.

They were drinking in the Crimson Beacon Hall when they suddenly sensed terrifying battle fluctuations coming from the direction of the Star Anchor Station, and immediately tore through space to rush over.

However, it was still too late.

All that remained before him was a shattered void, the lingering fluctuations of the laws revealing the terrifying power of that attack.

The Star Anchor Station no longer exists, and even its spatial coordinates are completely chaotic, making it impossible to track any trace of it.

"This..." Venerable Hurricane's expression turned grim. "It was an attack by Venerable-level beings, at least three!"

Venerable Lieguang closed his eyes and sensed for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "It's the aura of the demon race. One of them should be Venerable Jiaoyun of the Jiaolong lineage, and the other two... one is skilled in soul attacks, and the other should be of the Rock Demon lineage."

The Lava Venerable's face turned ashen, and flames rose uncontrollably around his body.

His hands were clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The destruction of the Star Anchor Station and the fall of the immortal deity who guarded it were not what angered him the most.

Most importantly, Lin Yuan and the three kings from the Virtual Universe Company were attacked on their way back from his banquet!

Most importantly, Lin Yuan and the three kings from the Virtual Universe Company were attacked on their way back from his banquet!

These people suffered this calamity because they came to attend his celebration, and from any perspective, he is to blame.

"Damn it!" the Lava Venerable roared, his voice filled with anger and regret.

He had planned it all out perfectly: to use this banquet to deepen his connection with Lin Yuan and at the same time build connections with the people behind other powerful figures who had been granted the title of King.

Lin Yuan had done him an indirect favor, and maintaining this relationship would be of great benefit to both him and the Molten Crystal Ant Clan.

But now, it's all over.

Even if Lin Yuan is resurrected by the Lord of the Universe Company after his death here, the other party's perception of him will inevitably change.

Worse still, the human race's higher-ups might suspect that he, Lava, leaked Lin Yuan and the others' whereabouts.

After all, he hosted the banquet, and only the guests attending the banquet knew the itinerary.

The attackers appeared with such precision and timed their attack so skillfully that it's hard not to suspect foul play.

"Lava, calm down." Hurricane Venerable patted him on the shoulder. "The most urgent thing is to report this matter immediately. Three Kings have fallen, including a genius like Chaos King. Virtual Universe Company will never let this go."

Venerable Lieguang nodded: "We need to contact the higher-ups of the Hong Alliance immediately. As for this place... the attackers should have already escaped and we can't catch them."

The Lava Master took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He glanced at the shattered void, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Lin Yuan... that young man who indirectly contributed to his own success has fallen.

Although he knew he could be resurrected, the Lava Master was still filled with guilt and unease.

"Let's go back to Crimson Beacon Palace and report it immediately through the virtual universe," Venerable Lava said in a deep voice.

The three tore through space and disappeared from the spot.