Lord of the Rending Stars

In the void of the Kunwu Ruins, the space torn apart by the battle is slowly healing itself, emitting a faint cracking sound, like shattered glass slowly piecing itself back together.

Qingyang sat cross-legged on a floating meteorite fragment, his body surface swirling with pale yellow law runes, as he repaired his nearly collapsed physical body.

Ice Peak and King Jiuyu were cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the mechanical remnants scattered over hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

"The core of the Logic Terminator is still relatively intact."

King Jiuyu carefully used a spacetime secret technique to envelop the head-sized, silver-black crystal. Countless points of light flowed inside the crystal, forming an extremely complex three-dimensional pattern.

"Among the invincible kings of the Machine Race, there are probably no more than a hundred in the entire Machine Race Alliance. The value of this core is enough to exchange for an ordinary supreme treasure weapon."

Bingfeng raised his hand and clenched his fist, pulling out thirty-six smaller silver crystal cores from the void: "Each of the Silver Stream Puppet's intelligent crystal cores is equivalent to the entire essence of a King-level advanced mechanical race. They can be used to refine powerful treasures or to comprehend the unique talents of the mechanical race. However, for us humans, their greatest value lies in entrusting them to the Virtual Universe Company for research."

Qingyang slowly opened his eyes. The tremors in his inner world had subsided. "The mechanical race's law system is completely different from that of us flesh and blood beings. Although we cannot directly cultivate their 'logic algorithms' and 'energy conversion,' we can use them as a reference to broaden our understanding of the essence of the laws."

"You recovered pretty quickly, kid." Bingfeng glanced at Qingyang, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "After that attack, I thought you'd need at least several decades to recover."

Qingyang smiled wryly and said, "My inner world almost collapsed just now, but fortunately, the three fragments of the Chaos Stele stabilized it. However, the gains this time were also great; my understanding of the laws of spacetime has deepened considerably."

King Jiuyu suspended all the spoils he had collected in the center of the three. In addition to the core of the Logic Terminator and thirty-six intelligent crystal cores, there were also a large amount of metal materials unique to the Machine Race, energy crystals, and most importantly, the three deep purple crystals that exuded a chaotic aura.

"The Heart of the Origin Crystal".

Qingyang reached out and gently touched one of them. Inside the crystal, it seemed as if a nebula was swirling. "The Logic Terminator actually carries three. It seems the Machine Race has made quite a haul in the Chaos Ruins."

Bingfeng's gaze turned grave: "According to the information we extracted from its core, the Machine Race has already collected at least six Source Crystal Hearts. Adding the seven we have, there are currently sixteen known to exist in the world. And nine are needed to open the core area of ​​the Demon Suppression City, which means that approximately two powerful individuals or forces have collected all the keys."

"I'm afraid it's more than that," King Jiuyu shook his head. "The Chaos Ruins are vast and boundless, and the area we've explored is probably just the tip of the iceberg. I estimate that the total number of Source Crystal Hearts in the present world may exceed thirty, or even more."

Qingyang pondered for a moment: "Then when the Demon Suppression City opens, multiple forces will enter at the same time. This is both an opportunity and a crisis. We can cooperate with other forces temporarily, but we may also become the target of everyone's attacks."

"Let's put that aside for now," Bingfeng waved his hand, creating a layer of ice barrier to isolate himself from outside observation. "The most urgent task is to distribute the spoils. Qingyang, you deserve the most credit for this battle. If you hadn't faced off against the Logic Terminator head-on, the two of us wouldn't have had a chance to seal it away."

King Jiuyu nodded in agreement: "Indeed. That strike, 'The Beginning of Chaos,' has already touched the threshold of the Universe Venerable. Once you break through to Immortality, your combat power will probably be able to directly become an invincible King."

Qingyang shook his head: "Without the restraint of the two of you and the final seal, I would have no choice but to flee for my life. Although the spoils should be distributed according to contribution, I suggest they be divided equally."

"Splitting it equally?"

Bingfeng raised an eyebrow. "You're quite generous, kid. But the cultivation world has its rules: those who make the greatest contributions receive the most. That's an ironclad rule. Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their lives in crucial moments in the future?"

King Jiuyu also said earnestly, "Qingyang, we have all seen your potential. Giving you these resources will be more effective than giving them to the two of us. Bingfeng and I are both at the limit of the King level. To break through to the Venerable level, it's no longer a matter of accumulating resources, but rather requires opportunity and comprehension."

Before Qingyang could say anything more, Bingfeng interrupted him, "How about this, we'll allocate them according to actual needs. First, the three of us will each take one Source Crystal Heart, and the extra one will go to Qingyang, because he needs it most for his understanding of the laws."

He pointed to the three suspended deep purple crystals: "Qingyang has already fused seven Origin Crystal Hearts. If he fuses two more, he will reach the 'Nine Stars Alignment' realm recorded in the Chaos Relics, and his understanding of the laws of spacetime fusion will undergo a qualitative change."

King Jiuyu added, "According to the relics, a being who has collected all nine Origin Crystal Hearts will gain special privileges in the Demon Suppression City. This may be our greatest advantage."

Qingyang no longer refused and accepted the two Source Crystal Hearts. The moment the crystals were in his hands, the seven Source Crystal Hearts within his body resonated simultaneously, and a mysterious sensation arose spontaneously, as if guiding him in a certain direction.

"Then there's the core of the Logic Terminator." Ice Peak pointed to the silver-black crystal. "This thing is of limited use to the two of us. Qingyang, do you need it?"

"This is useless to me. How about this, I will receive the Seven Aperture Exquisite Fruit. My main body needs to improve its genetic level to facilitate the creation of a clone with a more powerful genetic level. I will exchange this for King Jiuyu. What do you think? After my weapon crafting skills improve, I can craft an ordinary treasure for you for free," Qingyang said.

"Of course, you'll need to provide your own refining materials," Qingyang added. After a moment's thought, Jiuyu nodded; this core would be helpful to his teacher. King Jiuyu solemnly accepted the core of the Logic Terminator. The crystal felt heavy in his hand, and the flow of light within it suddenly accelerated, as if the original owner's will still lingered. At the same time, he distributed the Seven Aperture Exquisite Fruit to Qingyang.

"Next are thirty-six intelligent crystal cores," King Jiuyu said. "We'll divide these equally, twelve for each of us. They can be used to refine powerful treasures or exchanged for clan contributions. I suggest keeping at least a few for researching the combat patterns of the mechanical race, as we're likely to encounter more powerful mechanical race members in Demon Suppression City."

After distributing the main spoils, the three began to tally up the other gains. They had collected approximately nine million tons of the unique Flowing Silver metal of the Machine Race. This metal is self-repairing and is a top-grade material for crafting armor and palace-like treasures.

Each of the three took three million tons, and they all wore satisfied smiles. There were seventy-two energy crystals, each equivalent to the entire energy reserve of a high-level Immortal King, making them excellent items for replenishing one's divine body. Although Qingyang didn't need to replenish his divine body, he could use them to activate secret techniques or refine treasures.

What surprised the three the most was a black chip they found in the wreckage of the Logic Terminator.

"This is... the encrypted storage of the Machine Race."

King Jiuyu cautiously probed his consciousness into the encryption, only to be immediately blocked by a complex set of logical locks. "There are at least 100,000 layers of logical encryption. Forcibly cracking it will result in data destruction."

Bingfeng frowned: "Can you tell what's stored inside?"

"What is certain is that it includes a detailed star map of the Kunwu Ruins, as well as the coordinates of seventeen important ruins that the Machine Race has already explored."

A glint flashed in King Jiuyu's eyes. "More importantly, we have a predictive model of the internal structure of the Demon Suppression City."

Qingyang pondered, "The value of this chip may be no less than that of the core of the Logic Terminator. As a weapon refiner, it will also take me some time to crack the key set by the Machine Race."

"Then you can keep it," King Jiuyu said without hesitation.

After distributing all the spoils, the three began refining their own gains. Bingfeng found an area rich in the laws of water, attempting to gain inspiration for creation techniques from the mechanical race's fighting style.

The mechanical race has extremely high energy conversion efficiency, almost reaching the theoretical limit, which greatly inspired his water law in the direction of energy condensation.

King Jiuyu, on the other hand, studied the combat data within the intelligent crystal core to refine his Nine Universe Sword Formation. The combined attack array of the mechanical race gave him new inspiration: how to make the nine sword shadows form a perfect loop similar to a "logical closed loop," thus multiplying the power of the sword formation.

Qingyang, on the other hand, entered the deepest level of seclusion. He first refined two new Source Crystal Hearts. The moment the ninth Source Crystal Heart merged into his inner world, a change occurred.

Nine Source Crystal Hearts arranged in a perfect nine-sided shape at the center of the world and began to slowly rotate. With each rotation, a stream of chaotic energy was released, which merged into Qingyang's inner world, causing subtle changes in its structure. Qingyang could feel his inner world transforming into a "Divine Kingdom." This process usually only occurs when breaking through to immortality.

"Nine stars aligned, chaos returned to one."

Qingyang suddenly understood. This enlightenment lasted for a full ten years. When Qingyang opened his eyes again, his aura had undergone a tremendous change. Although his realm was still at the World Lord stage, the profound, chaotic aura he exuded startled both Bingfeng and King Jiuyu.

"Qingyang, congratulations," King Jiuyu said sincerely. "Your understanding of the laws has surpassed that of most King-level Immortals and is approaching that of Universe Venerables."

Bingfeng then asked directly, "When will you break through to Immortality?"

Qingyang shook his head: "It's not time yet. My inner world is still evolving. Although breaking through now would immediately make me a King-level Immortal, once it's fully evolved, my divine kingdom will be unlike any other. Moreover, I still need to find a special life form with a massive divine body to nurture my clone."

"A special life form with a massive divine body? Like the World Tree?" Bingfeng and King Jiuyu exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. "Good! That's bold!" King Jiuyu exclaimed.

In the decades that followed, they encountered several more groups of alien races, including the "Sirius" squad of the demon race, the "Radiant" squad of the crystal race, and even once the queen squad of the insectoid race.

With each battle, the trio's teamwork became increasingly seamless. Ice Peak's water law incorporated the property of "logic freezing," which could disrupt the enemy's thoughts and the operation of their laws. King Jiuyu's sword formation integrated "chaotic cycle," creating a self-reinforcing energy cycle between the sword shadows, increasing its power by a full 50%.

Qingyang opened his eyes and projected the information from the deciphered chip into the air. It was a vast star map, marking 3,600 known areas of the Kunwu Ruins.

Seventeen of these locations were marked as "explored," including the "Disordered Law Zone" and the "Chaotic Stele Forest" they had visited before. Most striking, however, was a massive point of light at the center of the star map—the Demon-Suppressing City. But the Demon-Suppressing City was not stationary; rather, it moved within the Chaotic Ruins according to some mysterious trajectory.

Based on three hundred years of observation data, the Mechanical Race deduced the operating pattern of the Demon Suppression City and predicted that it would remain near the "Eye of Chaos" five hundred years later.

"The Eye of Chaos..."

King Jiuyu's eyelids twitched. "That's one of the most dangerous areas in the Chaos Ruins. It's said to be a natural dead zone formed by chaotic energy, where even a Universe Venerable might perish."

Bingfeng's eyes lit up: "Danger and opportunity coexist, just be careful."

Qingyang continued browsing the information. The Mechanical Race's research on the Demon-Suppressing City had reached an astonishing depth. They not only drew up internal structural diagrams but also analyzed the city's eight major areas: the Forest of Laws, the Chaos Pool, the Forge of All Things, the Garden of Life, the Mechanical Temple, the Soul Altar, the Stairway of Will, and the most core, the Heart of Chaos.

Each region presents its own trials and opportunities. "The Source Crystal Heart is the key to unlocking the Chaos Heart, but other regions also require specific conditions."

Qingyang deciphered the information, "For example, the Mechanical Temple requires the core of the Mechanical Race to enter; the Garden of Life requires the life imprint of a special life form; the Soul Altar tests the strength of the soul..."

"It seems we must prepare in advance," King Jiuyu pondered. "We are destined not to be able to enter the Mechanical Temple, but we must try our best to gain access to the other areas. Especially the Chaos Pool, which is said to be able to reshape divine bodies and elevate the life gene level of cosmic life."

Bingfeng suddenly pointed to a section of the information: "Look here, the Mechanical Race predicts that when the Demon Suppression City opens, a 'Chaotic Beast Tide' will appear. These are special life forms nurtured by the laws of spacetime. Defeating them will yield 'Chaotic Crystal Cores,' which are treasures for enhancing one's understanding of the laws of fusion."

The three continued their analysis, growing increasingly alarmed. The complexity of the Demon-Suppressing City far exceeded their expectations; it was not merely a treasure hunt, but a comprehensive test involving comprehension of laws, combat abilities, and strategic wisdom. No wonder the Mechanical Race had sent a peerless powerhouse like the Logic Terminator.

"We need more allies," Qingyang concluded. "With just the three of us, it will be difficult to achieve success in all areas. Zhenmo City is too big, and there are too many opportunities."

King Jiuyu nodded: "The human race should have other teams in the Chaos Ruins. We can try to contact them, but we must be careful to keep it secret. If information about the Demon Suppression City is leaked, it will cause madness throughout the entire universe."

"Let's improve our strength first," Bingfeng decided. "For the next three hundred years, let's cultivate on the outskirts of the Chaos Sea Eye."

Deep within the Kunwu Ruins, three figures transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the Chaos Sea Eye marked by the star.