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

Just as news of Lin Yuan's duel with Venerable Youhuo spread rapidly, in a magnificent palace within the Eight Directions Beast God Palace, the core area of ​​the Ancestral God Sect.

This is a separate space and time, where the sky is an eternal purple, and countless bolts of lightning weave through the clouds like dragons and snakes.

Across the land, mountains stretch endlessly, and atop the highest mountain range in the very center, hundreds of millions of kilometers high, a colossal beast covered in blue fur, with three hooves and wings, opened its eyes.

With each breath he took, he triggered a thunderous uproar in this space and time. When he inhaled, a vast sea of ​​thunder gathered; when he exhaled, lightning flashed and thunder roared, causing mountains and rivers to collapse.

It is none other than the Thunder God, one of the Eight Directions Beast Gods!

"Has the fourth treasure been unlocked?"

The voice of the Thunder God was like a thousand thunderclaps, echoing throughout this space and time.

He slowly stood up, his massive body causing the entire mountain range to tremble.

"Yes, Lord Beast God."

Below, a burly figure with eight arms and a third eye between his eyebrows respectfully bowed; he was none other than the Bloodfire God General, one of the seventy-two divine generals of the Ancestral God Sect.

"The one who initiated this is the Chaos Venerable from the human race. He has only cultivated for tens of thousands of years, yet he already possesses the combat power of a cosmic overlord. Not long ago, he killed the Tyrant Horn Venerable on the Primordial Star, and this time he has come to the Ancestral God Sect to receive the inheritance of the Fire Void Beast God."

"The human race..." Thunder God stomped his three hooves on the ground, and several surrounding mountains collapsed with a roar. "What a pity. If he were a special life form or an inheritor of an ordinary race, he would be worthy of our Ancestral God Cult's great efforts to cultivate him."

The Bloodfire General bowed his head and asked, "Should I keep an eye on this person?"

"Just keep an eye on it; no need to treat it specially," the Thunder God Beast God said slowly. "The fourth treasure was left behind by that naturally born Fire-Sky Beast God. Since he was able to open it, it means he has already fulfilled all the conditions left by that Beast God. However..."

His gaze pierced through the spatial and temporal barriers of the Beast God Temple, looking towards the treasure trove.

"To be able to achieve such an almost impossible condition, this Chaos Venerable is probably more than just a gifted individual. Bloodfire, go and investigate whether he had any other special qualities before obtaining the treasure."

"Yes!" Bloodfire God General respectfully accepted the order, and his figure slowly faded away.

The Thunder God once again lay prostrate atop the mountain, but its eyes, which seemed to contain endless thunder, remained fixed on the direction of the treasure trove.

"Fire Sky Beast God... what kind of successor were you waiting for when you set such harsh conditions back then?"

……

After the Thunder God issued his order, the Bloodfire God had just disappeared from the Beast God Temple, but the Beast God who controlled thunder and time still felt it was not enough.

With three light stomps, the entire mountain range trembled, and lightning flashed in his eyes, as if it could penetrate layers of time and space.

"The conditions set by that naturally born Fire Sky Beast God are almost impossible to meet. This Chaos Venerable must have something special about him to be able to obtain the fourth treasure." Thunder Time Beast God muttered to himself, "Moreover, Bloodfire's strength is not much higher than his, so he probably can't find out the secrets the other party is hiding either."

With a thought, a divine thought separated from the Beast God Temple, silently piercing through the barrier of the Five-Colored Aurora Lake and descending towards the direction of Purple Thorn Island.

His divine sense precisely locked onto Lin Yuan's residence, and he was about to infiltrate and investigate—

"Lei Shi, you've crossed the line."

A gentle voice rang out; it belonged to the current island lord of Zijing Island, the Water and Sky Beast God.

A stream of light, blue in color, appeared out of nowhere and formed a barrier above the mansion, blocking his divine sense.

The divine sense of the Thunder God condensed into a phantom, revealing his three-hoofed body covered with blue fur, and his gaze was fixed on a distance.

The phantom of the Water and Sky Beast God is emerging from the void, surrounded by ripples of flowing water and interwoven space.

"I just want to see what's so special about this Chaos Venerable that he was able to achieve the conditions that the innate Beast God could hardly possibly meet."

The Water and Sky Beast God gently shook his head: "Lei Shi, as one of the Eight Beast Gods, our every move represents the will of the Ancestral God Sect. It is not something we should do to investigate the secrets of the inheritors in private."

"Don't you want to know?" Thunder God took a step forward, lightning flashing in his eyes.

"The Fire Sky Beast God set two conditions for the inheritance of the Fourth Treasure:"

First, he possesses a physical form; second, his Fire-Sky Beast God Dao has reached the fifth level.

After breaking through to immortality, the divine body is in an energy state, which is the rule of the universe.

unless……"

He paused, his voice low: "Unless this Chaos Venerable cultivated the Path of the Beast God to the fifth level during the Realm Lord era, but such talent has never appeared in the entire history of the Primordial Universe. So he bypassed this restriction by some other method."

"So what?"

The Water and Sky Beast God remained silent for a moment, then a complex look flashed in his eyes: "Although I also want to know how he did it, I know I can't do it."

He looked up into the depths of the Five-Colored Aurora Lake, in the direction of the Ancestral God Palace.

"Lei Shi, what is it that allows our Ancestral God Sect to attract inheritors from countless races in the primordial universe? Is it the power of the three Ancestral Gods? Is it the protection of the Five-Colored Aurora Lake? No, the most important thing is our rules and reputation."

The Water-Sky Beast God said, enunciating each word clearly, "Which powerful being in the universe doesn't have their own secrets? Which genius doesn't have unique opportunities? Today we investigate the Chaos Venerable out of curiosity, but tomorrow can we investigate other inheritors? The day after, can we arbitrarily interfere in the disputes between inheritors?"

"If we set this precedent, who will still believe in the neutrality of the Ancestral God Sect? Will those inheritors from hostile races still dare to cultivate here with peace of mind?"

The phantom of the Thunder God trembled slightly, and the surrounding light flickered, revealing his inner struggle.

After a long while, he sighed and his divine sense began to slowly dissipate.

"You're right, I was too impatient." Lei Shi Beast God's voice carried a hint of resentment, but more so a sense of relief.

"The opening of the treasure left behind by the Fire Sky Beast God has brought back many memories... Oh well, since he is the chosen successor of that Beast God, let him continue on his own."

The azure barrier quietly dissipated, and the divine sense of the Thunder Beast God also completely vanished.

The Water and Sky Beast God stood still, his gaze fixed on Lin Yuan's residence, and muttered to himself, "Chaos Venerable, I hope you can truly forge a different path and live up to that Beast God's last expectations."

After he finished speaking, his figure disappeared into the void.

……

In the virtual universe, atop the central mountain range of Thunder Island, within the palace of the Dragon Lord.

"The Flame Sky Palace, a top-tier palace-type treasure!" The Dragon Lord's face showed a rare look of surprise.

Below, Lin Yuan stood bowing and respectfully reported to him how he had obtained the treasure.

"Before leaving, Xingyu specifically sought me out, saying that he had to guard Xingyu and wouldn't be able to teach his disciples often, so he asked me to look after you during this time." Lord Longxing shook his head and smiled, "That guy is very arrogant and never asks for favors easily, but he made an exception for you this time."

Lin Yuan was deeply moved. Although the Star Prison Demon Lord had already gone to the Eighteen Star Prisons, he had already made all the arrangements for him.

"Tell me the details of that treasure," the Dragon Lord said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious.

Lin Yuan explained the functions of the Flame Sky Palace one by one. When he heard that it was capable of withstanding the full force of the strongest being in the universe for a short period of time, even the Lord of Dragon Journey was moved.

"Excellent! What a magnificent Flame Sky Palace!" exclaimed the Lord of Dragons. "I have heard of that born Fire Sky Beast God."

In the early days of the primordial universe, he escaped from attacks by several universe lords multiple times thanks to this temple. On one occasion, he even managed to hold out until another beast god arrived to rescue him while he was surrounded by three fifth-tier universe lords.

He looked at Lin Yuan with a profound gaze: "The Heavenly Wolf Palace of the Lord of Heavenly Wolf is merely a high-level palace-type treasure, yet it has already made him one of the most troublesome universe lords of the demon race."

Your Flame Sky Palace is a whole level higher than the Heavenly Wolf Palace; its value is immeasurable.

Lin Yuan nodded solemnly: "This disciple understands and will certainly make good use of this treasure."

The Lord of Dragons abruptly changed the subject: "How confident are you about your chances in the battle against Venerable Netherfire three months from now?"

Lin Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "My Yan God Clan clone's genetic level has reached more than three thousand times, and the quality of its divine power far exceeds that of ordinary overlords."

During my six hundred years of seclusion on Purple Thorn Island, I also successfully created the ultimate secret technique for becoming a cosmic overlord.

With my full set of top-tier equipment, my combat power is now comparable to that of a top-tier cosmic overlord.

Although Venerable Netherfire is a special life form with a genetic level more than four thousand times higher, he is inferior to me in terms of secret techniques and treasures. I have a more than 90% chance of winning this battle.

Lin Yuan was full of confidence, but upon hearing this, the Lord of Dragons did not show any relief; instead, he frowned slightly.

"Your analysis is correct. If it were only Venerable Youhuo, then it would indeed be nothing to worry about," the Lord of Dragons said in a deep voice. "But the real problem lies in the attitude of other forces."

He stood up and paced around the palace.

"Lin Yuan, your talent has long been exposed to the eyes of all races in the universe."

He defeated a Venerable during his reign as a King, broke through from Immortal to Universe Overlord over tens of thousands of years, and even defeated a veteran overlord of the Demon Race... These achievements are too dazzling.

Now you've obtained the fourth treasure. While others may not know its exact nature, they can guess it's at least a top-tier treasure.

The Lord of Dragons turned to face Lin Yuan directly: "Do you think the demon race and other powerful clans' old rivals will sit idly by and watch you grow unscathed?"

Lin Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"The Ghostfire is merely the challenger on the surface," the Dragon Lord said coldly. "The real danger lies with other powerful individuals who might turn against you after the battle."

Thunderfire Canyon is located in a secret realm where there are no rules or restrictions. If several top overlords join forces, even with the Flame Sky Palace, you'll probably only be able to flee in a sorry state.

He walked up to Lin Yuan and said seriously, "After the battle, go directly to the Nine Netherworld. The Star Prison Demon Lord asked the Lord of the Nine Netherworld to give you some guidance. If other powerful figures dare to continue hunting you down there, he will not stand idly by. Moreover, it will be much safer to return to the human territory from the Nine Netherworld."

Lin Yuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"I appreciate Senior Long Xing's kindness, but I do not wish for this to happen."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Dragon Lord.

A sharp light flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes: "Before heading to the Ancestral God Sect, my Flame God Clan avatar had already entered the Time Palace, and was cultivating at the highest time flow rate of a thousand times."

"Up to now, more than 600,000 years have passed in the Time Palace." The anticipation in his voice was hard to conceal.

"The avatar of the Flame God Clan is currently nearing a breakthrough and is expected to emerge from seclusion in two months of the original universe time. At that time, its genetic level will reach more than six thousand times!"

The Dragon Lord's pupils contracted slightly.

"With a genetic level of over six thousand times, combined with ultimate secret techniques and a collection of supreme treasures, my disciple's combat power will be among the strongest of the top overlords," Lin Yuan said, enunciating each word clearly. "If they really dare to chase after us, I might be able to kill a few of them."

A brief silence fell over the palace.

After a long while, the Lord of Dragons suddenly laughed.

"I see... I forgot that the Yan God Clan has the special ability to continuously improve their genetic level through cultivation. The Yan Emperor of yesteryear rose step by step by relying on this characteristic, and finally broke through to become the Lord of the Universe."

He sat back on his throne, looking at Lin Yuan with a complex expression: "Since you are so confident, then do as you wish. However—"

He then changed the subject: "We will not directly intervene in battles between top overlords; this is an unspoken agreement among the various races."

But if any shameless ruler of the universe were to attack you, my human race would not stand idly by.

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Dragon Lord: "I will ask the Lord of Pengwu to send a main battle avatar to wait outside the Ancestral God Sect."

If any alien cosmic ruler were to disregard their status and attack you, the Lord of Pengwu would naturally stop them.

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Yuan's heart, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Senior Long Xing!"

"No need to thank me. You are a genius of our human race, and protecting you is what we should do."

The Lord of Dragons waved his hand: "Go, and prepare well for this battle."

Remember, your target is not only Venerable Netherfire, but also those who lurk in the shadows and covet.

This battle must not only be won, but won spectacularly, so that all powerful alien races will remember that humanity cannot be humiliated.

"Disciple understands!"