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

Thirty years later, above a vast frozen lake.

Thirteen Venerables from the Northern Frontier Alliance hovered in mid-air, with the leader being none other than the previously mentioned Silver Mantis Venerable—Silver Blade Venerable.

"Based on the last distress messages sent by those allied teams, the one targeting us is a human squad, and their last known location was in this vicinity."

Silverblade Venerable said coldly, "They are cunning; they are constantly moving and never stay in one place for more than half a day."

"Silver Blade!" A Venerable One, whose body was covered in ice crystals, spoke up: "Chasing like this isn't a solution. The Primordial Star is too large, and with limited flight speed, it will be difficult for us to find them if they are determined to hide."

"Then force them out." A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Silver Blade Venerable. "Spread the word that a top-tier treasure is about to be unearthed in this area."

"A bait?" Venerable Ice Crystal pondered. "If they're greedy, they might actually take the bait."

"Even if they don't take the bait, it will still disrupt their hunting rhythm," the Silverblade Venerable sneered. "As long as they are distracted by the treasure, they will be more likely to expose their weaknesses."

The plan was executed swiftly.

Soon, news spread in the vicinity that a top-tier treasure was about to be born in the Tianguang Lake area.

Although most of the Venerable Ones knew that such widely circulated news was most likely a trap, the allure of the treasure was too great, and some solitary Venerable Ones or small groups still came to investigate.

……

On the edge of Tianguang Lake, in a hidden ice cave.

Lin Yuan and the other two also received the news.

"A top-tier treasure?" Venerable Yan Yue scoffed. "This trick is far too obvious."

Lawrence nodded: "A Venerable from a weak race has limited knowledge. Even if he wanted to trick us, he wouldn't dare to say that a supreme treasure has appeared."

"If they really released such a message, then the universe's overlords would be flocking to them!" Lin Yuan said speechlessly, then laughed heartily. "Besides, they haven't been with the top forces for very long, so they wouldn't dare to exaggerate too much. We should be more understanding."

"I understand, I understand." Lawrence couldn't help but laugh.

After the three of them joked around for a while, Venerable Yan Yue steered the conversation back on track.

"Regardless of whether their tricks are real or not, this is indeed an opportunity for us."

"How so?" Lin Yuan asked, looking at her.

"Since they've set a trap, they'll inevitably be lying in ambush at the location where the treasure 'emerges,'" Yan Yue analyzed. "But to increase realism, they also need to arrange for people to play the roles of contenders, which will dilute their strength."

She drew a simplified diagram on the screen: "If we don't fight for the treasure, but instead ambush the lone actors on the periphery, we might get some unexpected gains."

Celestial Eclipse's eyes lit up: "A feint attack? Not a bad idea."

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement: "And even if things don't go well, we can target other powerful individuals who have been drawn by the news of the treasure. Either way, we won't lose out."

After careful discussion, the three finally chose a glacial rift valley on the south side of Tianguang Lake as the ambush site.

The terrain here is exceptionally complex, with towering ice peaks and crisscrossing fissures, making it ideal for ambushes and rapid retreats after a failed operation.

……

Two weeks later, an "odd phenomenon" indeed appeared in the central area of ​​Tianguang Lake.

A blue beam of light shot into the sky from the lake, radiating powerful energy fluctuations. Within the beam, the faint outline of a shield-shaped treasure could be seen.

"A precious treasure has been born!"

The Venerable Ones, who were searching for treasure nearby, were immediately drawn to the light and flew towards it.

Around the pillar of light, the Silverblade Venerable was already lying in ambush, waiting for the human team to take the bait.

However, they waited all day, but apart from a few small teams that were unaware of the situation, their target never appeared.

"Could it be that they've seen through it?" Venerable Ice Crystal frowned.

Silverblade Venerable's face was gloomy: "I don't know, but it's also possible that they are still observing."

He thought for a moment and then ordered, "Wait another half day. If they still don't come, we'll retreat. It's too dangerous to stay here for too long. If we attract the overlords of other top-tier clans, we'll be in trouble."

While they waited patiently, Lin Yuan and his two companions had already found their prey in the glacial rift valley to the south.

A small team of three high-ranking Venerables was flying over the rift valley. They were not originally active in the vicinity, but were attracted by the news of the treasure's appearance.

"The powerful members of the Liulan Clan, whose leader is the Liulan Star Lord. According to intelligence, in addition to her, the Liulan Clan also has two other Universe Lords. Their overall strength ranks among the top among powerful clans, and the treasures they possess should also be quite impressive."

Lawrence's eyes flickered; he had already identified them. He whispered to his two teammates, "Should we fight or not?"

"We definitely have to pull off this. We've finally caught a big fish. The only thing that those weaker clans' venerable ones have worth is their lives; their treasures are too meager." Yan Yue's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

"Here we are, right now!" Lin Yuan transmitted his voice.

"Buzz!"

The Thousand Streams of Flaming Light Realm instantly unfolded, enveloping the entire rift valley area.

The three Venerables were terrified and tried to escape, but the suppression of their domains drastically reduced their speed.

The three Venerables were terrified and tried to escape, but the suppression of their domains drastically reduced their speed.

Immediately afterwards, three figures attacked from different directions.

"Seven Strike Strike of the Fiery Phoenix!"

"Void-Piercing Slash!"

"Flame Light Strike!"

The battle erupted instantly.

These three Venerables were stronger than those they had encountered before. One of them even possessed a common domain-type treasure, which barely offset the suppression of the Myriad Flowing Flame Light Realm.

However, Lin Yuan and the other two already had a very good working relationship.

Lawrence launched the main attack, his Sky-Splitting Sword moving like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, each strike carrying the power to tear through space.

Venerable Flame Moon provided support from the side, his Blood Flame Spear blocking the opponent's retreat.

Lin Yuan, on the other hand, controlled the overall situation, suppressing the opponent with his domain while occasionally launching soul attacks to disrupt their rhythm.

The battle lasted about ten minutes.

In the end, the two Venerables were killed, and one was captured alive.

"Withdraw!" Venerable Yan Yue put away his spoils and gave the order without hesitation.

The three of them transformed into streaks of light and quickly disappeared into the depths of the glacier.

When the Silverblade Venerable arrived after receiving the news, he only saw traces of the battle nearby.

"Damn it!" Venerable Silverblade roared in fury. "They had no intention of fighting for the treasure; they were just hunting our people down on the outskirts!"

"Venerable Lantian is very powerful, and he's not far from creating the ultimate secret technique. Once he succeeds, he will truly join the ranks of the universe's overlords. Even he has fallen here..." Venerable Bingjing carefully examined the battle traces, his expression grave.

"Judging from the scene, the two who teamed up with Lan Tian are no weaker than you and me. The fact that they were able to take them down in such a short time means this human team is even stronger than we anticipated!"

"There is at least one powerful figure on par with Venerable Lantian, and he may even be a true cosmic overlord," another Venerable added.

After a long silence, the Silverblade Venerable finally gritted his teeth and said, "Notify all nearby teams that none possess the strength of a Overlord to retreat immediately. We... are no match for them."

……

Silverblade Venerable's order quickly spread to all the nearby Northern Frontier Alliance teams.

When news spread that there might be a cosmic overlord-level enemy, many teams chose to evacuate immediately.

After all, on the original planet, facing a true cosmic overlord is tantamount to suicide unless one's own side also has a powerful figure of equal strength in charge.

Of course, this news didn't reach the other factions' experts, so Lin Yuan and his group's hunt could continue for a while longer.

About 40 million kilometers away from the Rift Valley, a team of four Venerable Ones is flying rapidly across the ice field.

They came from the Iron Crystal Clan, a vassal clan of the Mechanical Race. Their main purpose in entering the Primordial Star was to search for some special metallic materials. Knowing that the team's strength was average, they dared not pay much attention to any completed treasures.

"Captain, the fluctuation just now..." A Venerable of the Iron Crystal Clan looked at the burly figure at the head.

The Iron Bone Venerable, known as the captain, was covered in a dark gold metallic shell. He stopped and sensed the lingering energy in the distance that had not yet completely dissipated.

"It's the fluctuation of a domain-type treasure, and a supreme treasure at that," the Iron Bone Venerable said in a deep voice. "The battle over there has ended, but the energy residue is still so clear, indicating that the intensity of the battle was very high, at least a clash between multiple high-level universe venerables."

"Shall we go and take a look?" another Venerable One asked.

The Iron-Bone Venerable hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "No, this level of battle is beyond our control. Besides..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed.

"Be careful!"

Almost simultaneously, four invisible soul attacks pierced their consciousness like sharp blades.

"puff!"

The two Iron Crystal Clan members, both at the mid-level Venerable level, stiffened, their eyes dimmed, and they fell straight down, crashing onto the ice with a dull thud.

Although Iron Bone Venerable and another high-level Venerable barely managed to withstand the sneak attack, their mental state was somewhat weakened.

"Who?" the Iron Bone Venerable roared, a layer of pale golden light appearing on his body—his most precious treasure for soul defense.

The mechanical race has no souls, so many powerful individuals in their affiliated races can exchange for high-quality soul-related treasures. For example, the Soul Flow Wall of the Iron Bone Venerable is a top-tier treasure, and its price is not much lower than that of ordinary supreme treasure weapons.

Three figures slowly emerged from the void.

It was Lin Yuan, Venerable Yan Yue, and Lawrence.

"The reaction was alright." Lin Yuan looked at the Iron Bone Venerable, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "To be able to block my Soul-Slaying Blade, you two must at least possess a soul-type treasure. It seems this time the harvest will be quite good."

The Iron Bone Venerable's pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized the three men as a human hunting squad that had recently gained notoriety on the Primitive Star.

According to intelligence, this team has killed more than ten Venerables of the Northern Frontier Alliance, including some High-Level Universe Venerables.

"Humans, we are not members of the Northern Frontier Alliance!" Venerable Ironbone hurriedly explained, "Our Iron Crystal Clan is a vassal of the Machine Clan and has no conflict with the human race."

Venerable Yan Yue sneered: "A vassal of the Mechanical Race? That's even better. Didn't Venerable She Ling come to assassinate my junior brother tens of thousands of years ago? This is a perfect opportunity for revenge."

"Spirit Absorbing is the Spirit Light Clan's doing, it has absolutely nothing to do with our Iron Crystal Clan!" Venerable Iron Bone still tried to argue, "Besides, his assassination attempt failed, he was directly killed by the Chaos King... Wait, the Chaos King? Junior Brother?"

He stared intently at Lin Yuan: "You're the Chaos King? You've broken through to the Universe Venerable realm?"

"right!"

Lin Yuan smiled and nodded, then said in a very gentle tone, "I'm sorry, you two will have to stay here today. It's because you know too much, isn't it?"

Lawrence's broken sword was already glowing with silver light: "Captain, stop wasting time talking to them. The battle just now may have attracted other powerful figures. Let's finish this quickly."

The Iron Bone Venerable's heart sank.

He knew there was no way to resolve this peacefully now, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's fight! The Iron Crystal Clan has no cowards!"

"boom!"

His metallic shell suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, and his body instantly expanded to a height of a thousand meters, as he punched Lin Yuan.

This punch contained the power to shatter stars; wherever the fist's wind passed, space tore apart inch by inch.

"Good timing."

Lin Yuan neither dodged nor evaded, but met the attack head-on with his Crimson Meteorite Mark Spear.

"Burning Star!"

The moment the spear tip collided with the fist, a burst of blazing white starlight erupted.

"Snap!"

Cracks actually appeared on the Iron Bone Venerable's metal fist, which was as hard as a top-tier treasure!

"What?" He stepped back in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

His divine body is made of a special metal and has been refined using the clan's secret methods, making it extremely hard and able to withstand attacks from even ordinary treasure weapons.

But that shot just now almost pierced his fist!

"Your attack..." The Iron Bone Venerable stared intently at the spear in Lin Yuan's hand, "This is a high-grade treasure!"

He thought to himself with resentment, "The top clans are really rich. I almost gave up my entire fortune to exchange for the Soul Flowing Wall, but this Chaos King can receive a high-grade treasure as a reward from his clan right after breaking through."

The Iron Bone Venerable did not believe that the other party had accumulated the treasures himself. No matter how talented the other party was, he could only accumulate a few top-level treasures at the King-level invincible level. How could he possibly obtain high-level treasures?

And he was right; the Crimson Meteorite Mark Spear was indeed bestowed upon Lin Yuan by Venerable Yan Cang.

However, even if he was suppressed by the opponent's equipment, he couldn't blame anyone else. After all, Lin Yuan hadn't used his divine power to overwhelm him yet, and the primordial universe was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. If anyone was to blame, it was the Iron Crystal Clan, which was just a weak race.