Lord of the Rending Stars

"Haha, your battle has broadened my horizons. You've seen the strength of Bingfeng and Qingyang, and they won't hold us back. Besides, Qingyang has the ability to create clones just like you, making him extremely good at protecting himself," Jiuyu said, mediating.

Bingfeng's expression softened, and he nodded. "I have no objection to Qingyang joining the team." Qingyang also nodded and asked, "Jiuyu, when do we set off?" King Jiuyu immediately replied, "We'll depart in half a month. Everyone, please take care of your worldly affairs first."

Inside Qingyang's residence, Qingyang equipped his human body with top-tier treasure armor and a top-tier treasure battle sword. Since they were going on an adventure as a team, their own attack and defense couldn't be too weak.

Half a month later, in front of the headquarters of the virtual universe, the three people, after arranging their mundane affairs, turned into three streaks of light and disappeared into the sky above the initial continent.

Fifty years later, after multiple rounds of teleportation by divine kingdoms, Qingyang and his two companions appeared in a dark place in a remote region of the primordial universe.

After decades of exploration, the three had only gained a small amount of knowledge. This time, the three teamed up to travel to a secret cosmic realm provided by King Jiuyu.

In the eternally lonely dark universe, a crimson palace sped along at a speed far exceeding the speed of light.

Inside an ordinary treasure palace on the ice peak, three people sat cross-legged on the throne, cultivating. Initially, they traveled by spaceship, but later found it too inefficient and switched to ordinary treasure palaces.

Inside the palace's treasure trove, King Jiuyu was introducing their destination—the Kunwu Ruins—to the two people before him.

In the distorted zone where the edge of the primordial universe meets the unknown starry sky, an ancient cosmic secret, after being silent for billions of epochs, finally tore open the veil of spacetime.

It was named "Kunwu Ruins" by the earliest space explorers who discovered it. According to exploration, this mysterious place was formed in the early days of the primordial universe, just after it emerged from chaos.

When the universe was first born, countless laws burst forth from the singularity. Most of these laws intertwined and stabilized over a long period of evolution, forming the network of rules that governs the universe today.

However, in certain special spacetime folds, some original laws failed to fully integrate into the cosmic framework. They condensed and solidified, forming "law amber" that is independent of normal spacetime.

The Kunwu Ruins are the largest of these.

The entrance to the secret realm is hidden at the gravitational equilibrium point formed by three adjacent black holes, and accurate location requires at least the spatial law comprehension level of a King-level immortal.

The entrance itself is a constantly rotating, seven-colored vortex, about three hundred kilometers in diameter. What flows in the vortex is not matter, but visible threads of laws. The law of time appears as transparent ripples, while the law of space appears as silver veins.

The moment they pass through the entrance, explorers find themselves in a world beyond the comprehension of ordinary understanding. The sky is devoid of stars, yet thirty-six sources of light of varying sizes float in the air. These are not celestial bodies, but rather solidified "law crystal nuclei," each radiating fluctuations of different elemental laws: a crimson crystal of the fire element, a deep blue core of the water element, and a dark golden condensation of the metal element. These crystal nuclei slowly rotate, their radiant light containing the primordial essence of their corresponding laws.

The earth is composed of two substances: one is a gray-black "chaotic bedrock", which is as hard as F9 grade metal. Even a full-force attack from a King Immortal can only leave a shallow mark.

Another type is the ubiquitous "Law Clusters," which grow from cracks in the bedrock and spread throughout the secret realm like a crystal forest. These clusters change color as different crystal nuclei in the sky move. When the golden nucleus shines the brightest, all the clusters refract a sharp metallic luster, and the air is filled with a sense of division.

The gravity in the secret realm is twenty-seven times that of a normal star field, and its direction is constantly shifting slightly—a spectacle caused by an incomplete Earth Law.

The most peculiar thing is the flow of time: time inside the secret realm is three times faster than outside, but in certain "turbulent zones of laws", the flow of time may increase by ten times or slow down to one-tenth.

The dangers of the Kunwu Ruins are as renowned as its opportunities. The most common threat is the turbulent flow of laws. Because the primordial laws are not fully stable, a sudden upheaval of a certain law can erupt within the realm. This could be a "spatial fragment storm" appearing out of nowhere, with countless sharp, knife-like fragments of space sweeping across like a tidal wave. Even ordinary King-level Immortals without the protection of ordinary heavy armor would have their divine bodies instantly cut and damaged by more than 1%.

Or it could be a "time freeze trap," where those who step into it will be frozen in amber of time. Their minds will remain, but they will be unable to move an inch until the trap naturally dissipates after several years. If enemies or native creatures of the secret realm approach at this time, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The primordial creatures known as "Crystal Beasts" pose another major threat. They are life forms nurtured by the energy of laws over countless ages, exhibiting diverse forms, but sharing the common characteristic that their bodies are composed of crystals of laws.

Even the lowest-ranking "Gray Crystal Beast" possesses the combat power of a Marquis-level Immortal, while the legendary "Seven-Colored Crystal Emperor" boasts strength comparable to a low-level Universe Venerable. Crystal Beasts have no intelligence, only instinct: to protect the crystal cluster veins where they were born and to devour other beings containing the energy of laws.

The most bizarre are the illusions created by the laws of nature. In certain areas, the concentrated laws directly affect the explorer's soul, creating illusions indistinguishable from reality. It might be the most coveted treasure material within reach, the call of a deceased loved one, or an illusion that unlocks the potential to become a Cosmic Venerable…

Once one becomes addicted, their soul will gradually be assimilated by the laws, becoming new nourishment for the crystal clusters of the secret realm. Legend has it that at least three peak-level experts who reached the King level saw a "shortcut" to the path of the Venerable in the illusion, and their divine bodies were eventually crystallized, remaining forever in the depths of the secret realm.

As King Jiuyu spoke, his expression turned solemn. "There are countless examples of powerful kings who think themselves superior and have come to this secret realm alone only to perish. We must not be careless," Jiuyu warned. Qingyang and Bingfeng nodded solemnly as well.

What attracts the King-level Immortals most to the Chaotic Ruins are naturally the primordial cosmic treasures that have long since disappeared from the outside world. Law Source Crystals are the foundational resources of the secret realm, divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and supreme. A low-grade source crystal is about the size of a fist, containing the equivalent of ten years of arduous cultivation for a Marquis-level Immortal; a supreme-grade source crystal is about the size of a house, completely transparent, with the flow of the essence of laws visible within, offering enlightenment even to ordinary Universe Venerables.

Source crystals can be directly absorbed and comprehended, and are also the core material for refining domain-type and soul-type treasures.

Among them, the Source Crystal Heart can be temporarily absorbed by the human body to enhance the holder's comprehension, and is a treasure that all races in the universe fight and fight for.

Chaos fragments are excellent materials for crafting top-tier offensive treasures. They are fragments of varying sizes formed from the lingering chaotic energy that solidified under the influence of laws during the birth of the primordial universe.

The largest record is a piece of "Chaotic Black Iron" weighing 100,000 tons, which was taken by the ancient god of our human race and refined into an ordinary palace-type treasure.

At this point, Jiu Yu glanced at Qing Yang. Qing Yang nodded in understanding. The characteristic of the Chaos Fragment is its "excellent compatibility with laws," allowing it to perfectly accommodate law runes of any attribute. The powerful artifacts crafted from it are 30% more potent than those made from ordinary materials.

There is also the Spacetime Twin Flower, which grows at the intersection of the turbulent currents of the laws of time and space, and is extremely rare. This flower has two stamens on one stem; one stamen is silvery-white and controls space, while the other is transparent and influences time.

If an immortal consumes the silver-white core, their understanding of the laws of space will enter a state of sudden enlightenment; if they consume the transparent core, their sensitivity to changes in the flow of time will increase a hundredfold.

If both flowers are consumed together, there is an extremely low probability of comprehending the "Interweaving of Time and Space" technique, a threshold technique for Venerable-level cultivators. However, each flower is protected by a "Twin Beast," an unseen creature that lives in the temporal rift and attacks directly at the target's soul, making it incredibly terrifying.

The fruits of law are formed from the energy that occasionally drips from the crystallized cores of law in the sky. The most precious one is the "Golden Void Fruit," a product of the fusion of the law of metal and the law of space. Its shape resembles a twisted dagger, with dark gold flowing with silver patterns throughout. After being consumed by an immortal king, it increases the speed at which one comprehends the fused law of "metal and space" by dozens of times, with the effect lasting for about three years.

The Chaotic Core exists only in the deepest part of the secret realm, within the "Chaotic Sea Eye." It is a spherical space with a diameter of over a hundred kilometers, at the center of which floats a constantly changing seven-colored sphere of light. Before the Chaotic Core, the ten laws of the primordial universe at its inception are presented, intertwined, and evolved in the most direct way.

One year of enlightenment here is equivalent to ten thousand years of arduous cultivation in the outside world. However, the core can only be opened once every ten thousand eras, and each time it can only accommodate nine people. Moreover, those who enter must undergo "baptism of laws," and their divine bodies are constantly subjected to the erosion of all the basic laws. Without the strength to reach the limit of being a king, their divine bodies will collapse within a hundred days.

Immortal Kings rarely venture alone into the Kunwu Ruins. They typically form teams of three to five, with members needing complementary abilities: at least one skilled in spatial sealing to deal with crystal beast attacks; one an expert in the laws of time to anticipate law currents; all companions need high soul strength and strong will to resist law illusions; and the rest are the combatants.

The exploration cycle is typically one thousand years in the outside world (about three thousand years inside the secret realm). The first hundred years can be spent collecting source crystals on the outskirts and adapting to the environment; the middle several hundred years are spent going deeper to search for fragments of chaos and special resources; and the later several hundred years are spent trying to go to the "Eye of Chaos" to try one's luck.

Each time the secret realm opens, the death rate of those who enter is about 60%. This data is based on the relatively safe methods summarized by various races after a long period of exploration.

It's worth noting that during the initial openings, the mortality rate reached as high as 90%. Within the Kunwu Ruins, the various races tacitly maintain a fragile peace. This is because the dangers here stem primarily from the environment itself, and pointless battles would only benefit the crystal beasts.

Of course, when treasures capable of changing one's destiny, such as the qualification to unlock the Chaos Core or the Twin Flowers of Time and Space, are discovered, fierce competition is still inevitable.

At this point, King Jiuyu sighed and said that the most famous conflict in history occurred millions of years ago. The descendants of the demon race's "Heavenly Wolf Venerable" and the direct forces of the mechanical race's "Father God" broke out in a great war for a piece of "Chaos Mother Gold". In the end, it attracted the Seven-Colored Crystal Emperor. Two invincible kings, six kings at the limit, and more than twenty kings at the peak were all wiped out, with no one surviving.

The deepest secret of the Kunwu Ruins is not the visible treasures. Some cosmic beings speculate that this secret realm may be a "training ground for laws" deliberately left behind by the "Primordial Cosmic Will".

The evidence is that although the laws in the secret realm are primitive, their arrangement is clearly guiding, from basic to integrated, from singular to interwoven, as if there were a complete teaching system.

An even more astonishing discovery came from the Zerg. Ten thousand epochs ago, they discovered a "Law Fossil Zone" at the deepest level of the secret realm. Sealed there were the failed experiments of the first naturally conceived life forms from the early days of the primordial universe, mostly the remains of life forms with flawed law structures but incredibly powerful.

Studying these "fossilized laws" allows us to deduce the logic behind the creation of life in the universe. This discovery has led to a leap forward in the Zerg Queen's technology for breeding Zerg warriors, and has further enhanced the strategic value of the Chaos Relic in the eyes of the Zerg leadership.

Today, the Kunwu Ruins have become a "trial ground" for various races in the primordial universe to achieve immortality and become kings. The Human Virtual Universe Company has even developed a special simulation training program for this purpose.

But all those who have experienced the Conqueror Immortality title admit that simulation is ultimately just simulation, and can never replicate the soul's trembling when facing the torrents of laws in the real Kunwu Ruins, the surge of blood when discovering fragments of chaos, or the awe-inspiring experience of witnessing the mysteries of the universe's origin in the Chaos Sea Eye.

The seven-colored vortex at the entrance to the secret realm slowly rotates, awaiting the next batch of brave adventurers to step in.

Some of them may perish, transforming into new crystal clusters; some may return laden with treasures, adding to their race's riches; some may glimpse a glimmer of hope for becoming a cosmic sovereign, embarking on the long and arduous path to the supreme Dao.