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

Virtual universe, Mount Pantheon.

The majestic sacred mountain floats amidst endless clouds and mist. It is usually extremely quiet here, only becoming lively when the highest meeting is held.

Today, only a few hundred years after the last meeting, Mount Pantheon once again welcomes the arrival of all the cosmic venerables of the human race.

Streaks of light streaked across the sky and landed on the Plaza of the Gods, coalescing into figures with vast and powerful auras.

"It's the Supreme Council again... This is the third time in just a few hundred years."

A cosmic venerable being, clad in blue scales and sporting a single horn on his forehead, looked around and couldn't help but exclaim, "Since I became a venerable being, I have never seen the Supreme Council convene so frequently."

"Venerable Qinglin, this is not surprising." A female Venerable shrouded in light blue mist spoke up, her voice as clear as flowing water. "The establishment of the Northern Frontier Alliance, the union of nearly a hundred Universe Lords, and the presence of the strongest being in the universe, such a major event is enough to change the original universe's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or pattern of the universe). It would be abnormal if the higher-ups of the clan did not respond."

"Venerable Shuijing is right." A burly Venerable, his body engulfed in flames, strode over, his voice booming. "However, I've heard that the main topic of this meeting is the action plan against the Northern Frontier Alliance."

"Venerable Jin Yan, is the information reliable?" Upon hearing this, the surrounding Venerables all looked over.

Venerable Jin Yan grinned: "One of my immortal subordinates mentioned this matter when he was fighting against the demon race in the outer battlefield a few days ago. It seems that the other top races should have also received the news. The alliance of the six parties is a foregone conclusion."

Just then, the space at the edge of the square rippled slightly.

A figure emerged from within, tall and imposing, with a restrained aura—it was none other than Lin Yuan.

His arrival caused a brief pause in the atmosphere of the square.

The gazes of numerous cosmic venerables all turned toward them, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and of course, some with admiration.

To behead a venerable one while holding the title of king!

Even though more than three hundred years have passed, this news still reverberates like thunder in the circle of cosmic venerables, and every venerable one knows what it means.

"Chaos King," Venerable Qinglin spoke first, his tone filled with obvious respect, "I didn't expect you to come too."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly: "I will naturally attend the highest meeting of the clan."

His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant. He was neither restrained because he was only a king, nor arrogant because of his outstanding achievements. This composure made many venerable ones around him nod in approval.

"Although the Chaos King is still only a titled king, his actual combat strength is no less than that of a mid-level universe venerable. It is only right that he attends the Supreme Conference."

Venerable Water Mirror smiled and said, "Moreover, I heard that the higher-ups at Virtual Universe Company have fully upgraded your privileges to the Venerable level and arranged a palace for you halfway up the central mountain range of Thunder Island."

"That is indeed true," Lin Yuan readily admitted, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of my people."

Although they had expected it, the venerable ones still couldn't help but feel a little emotional when they confirmed it in person.

The central mountain range of Thunder Island is the residence of a cosmic venerable from the Virtual Universe Company.

The fact that Lin Yuan was able to build a palace there meant that he had been officially recognized by the clan as a Venerable-level combatant, and was now on equal footing with them.

"With the Chaos King's record, he certainly deserves this treatment." Venerable Golden Flame laughed heartily. "I've heard that Venerable Soul Stealer and Venerable Spirit Capturer both fell to you. I admit I couldn't achieve such a feat."

Lin Yuan shook his head: "It was just luck. If they hadn't been careless, I wouldn't have been able to succeed."

"Excessive humility is arrogance," Venerable Qinglin laughed. "Regardless of the process, the result is that those two Venerables perished, which has already proven everything."

As they were speaking, a majestic voice echoed across the plaza: "Human powerhouses, gather!"

The next moment, all the figures of the Venerable Ones on the square vanished instantly.

……

Inside the Pantheon.

The majestic thrones are arranged according to their strength and status, from the ordinary Venerables on the outermost perimeter to the cosmic overlords in the core area, with clear hierarchies.

Lin Yuan's throne position is between that of a High-Rank Venerable and a Universe Overlord, an arrangement made by the clan's higher-ups based on his actual combat strength.

Sitting in this position, surrounded by the most outstanding high-level Venerables of the human race, many of whom even faintly approached the level of cosmic overlords.

"Chaos King." An old man in a star-patterned robe turned to look at him, his eyes filled with goodwill. "I am Venerable Star Mark, I have long admired your name."

Lin Yuan smiled in response: "Venerable Xinghen, you are too kind."

Venerable Starmark is extremely famous among the high-ranking Venerables of the human race. It is said that he is only one step away from becoming a cosmic overlord and has fought against alien overlords many times without being defeated.

"If you have time after the meeting, you are welcome to visit my Star Palace," Venerable Star Mark invited.

"Definitely," Lin Yuan replied.

At that moment, conversations could be heard coming from the core area ahead.

"It seems they're serious this time." A cosmic overlord clad in blood-red armor and exuding a sharp aura said in a deep voice, "The Northern Frontier Alliance has only been established for a few hundred years, yet it has already absorbed nearly two thousand weak races. If we don't curb it, it might really become a force to be reckoned with."

"Blood Blade Overlord is right," another female overlord shrouded in hazy light and shadow chimed in. "A few days ago, I encountered several Venerables from the Northern Frontier Alliance in the Ancient Fallen Secret Realm. They were arrogant and said that the area was already their territory, and told me to leave that area."

"Oh? Overlord of Light and Shadow, how did you deal with it later?" asked a lean overlord next to him.

"Of course, we made our move." The voice of the Overlord of Light and Shadow turned cold. "The three high-level Venerables on the other side thought they could defeat me by joining forces, but unfortunately they underestimated my strength. In the end, I killed one of them, and the other two fled in panic."

"Well done!" Blood Blade Overlord praised. "They should know that just because they have the strongest person in the universe as their leader, they can't really challenge us old-established super powers."

Lin Yuan listened quietly to the conversation of these overlords, gaining a clearer understanding of the current situation of the Northern Frontier Alliance.

Clearly, this newly established superpower is expanding rapidly and has already threatened the interests of established powers such as the human race, with conflicts already brewing in the shadows.

Just then, majestic figures began to appear one after another on the golden throne at the highest point in front.

The cosmic rulers of the human race have descended.

The Lord of Chaos City, the Lord of Dragon Journey, the Lord of Peng Gong, the Lord of Void Gold, the Lord of Qingdong—with a flick of his finger, he instantly transmigrated to Chapter 190, the Supreme Conference, a magnificent world where swords point towards the Northern Frontier. The Lord of Desolate Mirror… one after another, pillars of the human race sat on their thrones, their vast auras permeating the entire hall.

Finally, on the main seat, the figure of a savage carrying a giant axe materialized.

The founder of the giant axe!

Upon his arrival, all the venerable ones in the hall rose at the same time and bowed respectfully.

"Please be seated," the founder of the giant axe said in a calm voice, his gaze sweeping across the crowd below. "I'm sure you all know why we're holding this supreme meeting today."

The venerable ones took their seats again, and the hall fell silent.

The Giant Axe Founder looked at the Chaos City Lord: "Chaos, you shall still be in charge."

The Lord of Chaos City nodded, then stood up, his majestic voice resounding throughout the hall:

"Gentlemen, today's meeting has only one theme—the war against the Northern Frontier Alliance."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose from below.

Although it was expected, hearing the word "war" from the mouth of the Chaos City Lord still made many Venerables' hearts skip a beat.

The Lord of Chaos City looked around at everyone and continued, "The Northern Frontier Alliance has gathered nearly a hundred Universe Lords and incorporated nearly two thousand races. Its momentum is established, and its intentions are clear."

If we allow it to continue to develop unchecked, within ten million epochs, it will inevitably encroach upon the territory of our human race and squeeze our living space.

Therefore, our human race, together with the five major powers—the Demon Race, the Insect Race, the Mechanical Race, the Prison Race, and the Crystal Race—have reached a consensus to jointly suppress the Northern Frontier Alliance.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the many cosmic venerables below turned solemn.

The six top powers have joined forces in what is unprecedented in terms of scale since the formation of the eight super powers in the original universe.

The Chaos City Lord continued, "This operation will be led by you, the Universe Venerables. Although the Northern Frontier Alliance has gathered a large number of races, many of them are weak races, and the strength of their Universe Venerables varies greatly. This is your opportunity to make a name for yourself."

As soon as the words were spoken, a virtual screen appeared in front of each Universe Venerable, listing the detailed reward rules.

Lin Yuan stared intently.

Kill Rewards:

Defeating a novice Universe Venerable from the Northern Frontier Alliance rewards 50-100 Treasure Points;

Defeating a mid-level Universe Venerable rewards 300-500 Treasure Points;

Defeating a High-Level Cosmic Venerable rewards 800-1500 Treasure Points;

Defeating a cosmic overlord will reward you with 1 to 5 Treasure Points, depending on the opponent's strength.

Revival Offer:

Those who perish in the battle against the Northern Frontier Alliance can be resurrected at only 30% of the original price.

Rental benefits:

Strong individuals participating in the operation can rent treasures from the clan's treasury for free, with the amount depending on their strength: up to 100 Treasure Points for beginner Venerables, up to 500 Treasure Points for intermediate Venerables, up to 1500 Treasure Points for advanced Venerables, and up to 3 Treasure Points for cosmic overlords.

Treasures not exceeding the limit can be rented for free; you only need to return the treasure or the corresponding treasure points when the time comes.

The contents on the light screen were clearly displayed in front of each venerable one.

After a brief silence, a heated discussion broke out in the hall.

"Fifty treasure points for killing a low-level Universe Venerable?" A low-level Venerable's eyes gleamed. "My entire fortune doesn't even amount to two hundred treasure points. If I could kill three or four..."

"Eight hundred treasure points for killing a High-Level Venerable!" A High-Level Venerable gasped. "I've been adventuring in the Dark Flame Secret Realm for dozens of epochs, and my harvest is only three hundred treasure points. This is equivalent to my accumulation over millions of years!"

"The rewards for cosmic overlords are higher, ranging from one to five Treasure Points..." In the core area, an overlord murmured, "A decent ordinary Treasure Weapon only costs around 2 Treasure Points. You can exchange one for one by killing one or two overlords."

Treasure Points and Supreme Treasure Points are the hard currency within the human race. A Venerable One might accumulate only a few hundred Treasure Points over a long period of time.

Not to mention the resurrection benefits and rental perks; the former allows the Venerable to take a gamble, while the latter allows even the weaker ones to be armed to the teeth.

"The clan has really gone all out this time," Venerable Starmark murmured.

Lin Yuan nodded, but his gaze fell on a line of small text at the bottom of the light screen:

[Note: The above benefits are only applicable to human race Venerables. For Venerables of other races from the Hongmeng Alliance, the kill reward is 60% of the human race's reward, and the resurrection discount is 50% of the original price. There are no rental benefits.]

Differential treatment.

But this is normal; the core of the human race will always be humanity itself. The alien races of the Hongmeng are ultimately vassals; they're already lucky to get a share of the spoils in this war.

"Gentlemen," the Chaos City Lord's voice rang out again, silencing the discussions in the hall, "the benefits have been given out; now it's up to you to see how you perform."

This battle is not only about the interests of your community, but also about your own opportunities.

Whether you continue to quietly accumulate experience or seize this opportunity to soar to new heights is entirely up to you.

The meeting is now adjourned.

Those interested in participating can submit an application and receive a mission in the virtual universe system.

Meeting adjourned!

As the words fell, the figures at the very core of the Pantheon began to fade away one by one.

One by one, the cosmic venerables began to converse in hushed tones, discussing matters such as forming teams, selecting targets, and renting treasures.

Many people are already eager to take action immediately.

When they ventured into the secret realms of the universe, they would often fight against alien venerables, and some of them would perish, but there were no rewards for them at that time.

This time, the race has been so generous, resolving all their worries. All the cosmic venerables are full of energy and can't wait to rush to the original star!

Lin Yuan sat quietly on the throne, but his mind was racing with calculations.

With his current strength, killing an ordinary Universe Venerable would not be difficult if he participated in the hunt.

Those novice and intermediate Venerables, especially those from weaker groups, were easy for him to capture.

Moreover, it's rare to find someone who can accumulate wealth while also contributing to their community.

After a while, Lin Yuan was about to leave after agreeing to visit Venerable Xinghen at a later time when a voice suddenly rang in his ears:

"Disciple, come to your master."

It is the Venerable Master Yancang.

……