The Lord of the Heavenly Eclipse Palace in the Swallowed Starry Sky

Chapter 102 True Evolution and True Clarity

Li Er sped along the passage like lightning.

His figure was like a streak of light, breaking the silence and darkness of the passage.

Three hours passed quickly as he hurried along, and finally the end of the passage came into view.

Before your eyes, a magnificent square suddenly appears.

In the square, thousands of people stood or sat, chatting in small groups, their voices mingling together to create a buzzing, noisy sound.

Among the crowd, several colossal celestial beasts stood majestically, like ancient mythical creatures descending to earth.

These colossal cosmic beasts are enormous. Even though the plaza spans tens of thousands of kilometers in diameter, they still stand out like cranes among chickens. Each beast exudes an awe-inspiring aura, as if it were the overlord of this world.

At this moment, Li Er's arrival attracted everyone's attention.

"Hello, please rest here for a moment!" A soft and melodious greeting came from here, and a female receptionist approached with light steps.

Her appearance was absolutely stunning, and she had a short, fluffy tail like a rabbit's.

"When can we enter the secret realm?" Li Er asked directly.

"We need to wait until we have a certain number of people, otherwise the cost of opening the entrance to the secret realm will be too high." The female receptionist tilted her head slightly, still wearing that charming smile on her face, and patiently explained.

"This Lord-level Starry Sky Beast, you've come at a rather opportune time. There are people waiting in this plaza for over ten days. After all, the Lone Rangers aren't like the human forces, who can organize and concentrate their geniuses. You can only rely on yourselves to slowly gather enough people."

Li Er nodded silently, feeling somewhat helpless, but he could only accept this reality.

He turned and walked to one side of the square, where a row of huge metal benches stood.

These benches are like small hills to ordinary humans, but for a cosmic behemoth like Li Er, they are merely seats that he can barely sit on.

Li Er casually chose a seat and sat down. His original height in his Purple Cocoon Beast form was ten thousand meters, and even though it had shrunk a hundred times, it was still a hundred meters tall.

Every time he moved his body, the ground would tremble slightly and emit a dull rumble, as if the earth was groaning in pain.

"Hello!" "Are you alone?" Two hearty greetings broke the surrounding silence.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Er felt a surge of curiosity and slowly lowered his head to look.

Two ape-man realm lords, each about three meters tall, were striding toward him.

Their faces were remarkably similar, as if they were carved from the same mold. Their faces were covered with thick downy hair, which was a golden brown color and shimmered slightly in the sunlight, giving them a wild and bold feel.

Li Er immediately recognized that both of them were at the peak of the Realm Lord level. They exuded a powerful and steady aura, like two silent volcanoes, seemingly calm but containing endless power.

Moreover, a strange light was faintly flashing between their brows, clearly indicating that they had both received the recognition of the fundamental laws.

It should be noted that although there are thousands of people in this square, most of them are at the Domain Lord level, with only a small number being at the World Lord level or the Universe level.

The reason why there are so few people at the cosmic level is mainly because their own strength is relatively weak.

In this vast and boundless universe, to travel such a great distance to get here is full of challenges and hardships for a cosmic entity.

Few cosmic-level beings can traverse countless galaxies and enter this secret realm on their own; they usually choose one of the other three nearby secret realms.

The cost of this long interstellar journey alone is something that many cosmic entities cannot afford.

That was a huge fortune that would bankrupt them and make them hesitate. Only those with powerful backgrounds or those who had endured countless hardships in the universe and accumulated riches would consider embarking on this distant journey.

Li Er, in his cocoon-like form, nodded slightly and replied in a muffled voice, "One person."

"It's not easy for one person to get to Luan Bird Star, is it? It took my brother and me 50 years to get here by spaceship." The slightly taller ape-man world lord said with a loud laugh. His laughter was hearty and unrestrained, as if it could dispel the gloom around him.

As he spoke, he and his brother casually sat down on the alloy bench opposite them.

With a flick of his wrist, the tall ape-man conjured up a bottle of fine wine exuding a rich aroma and three cups.

Two small cups and one extra-large cup.

Then, he skillfully manipulated the power of the world, and the wine, like a nimble sprite, slowly poured into the cups. The three cups of wine then floated steadily in front of the three people, their aroma filling the air. The rich fragrance seemed to penetrate into one's heart, making one intoxicated by it.

"Thanks!" Li Er stretched out his thick arm and gently picked up his wine glass. "I'm fine; the interstellar journey didn't take 50 years."

"Oh!" The tall ape-man's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily, "My name is Zhenyan, and this is my younger brother, Zhenche."

Zhen Che, who was standing next to Li Er, seemed more reserved. He simply nodded slightly to Li Er and said softly, "Hello!"

"My name is..." Li Er paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Laozi!"

"Laozi? Haha, brother, that's a pretty strange name!"

Zhen Yan couldn't help but burst into laughter, his laughter echoing across the square and attracting the attention of many people around him.

The two ape-man realm lords, seasoned veterans of the martial world, immediately recognized that this was just a nickname.

In this vast universe, the nickname "Laozi" is far too common, especially among adventurers who wander and roam the world. They rarely use their real names and address each other by nicknames.

After all, real names often contain too many secrets and entanglements, while nicknames can be changed at will, offering more flexibility and freedom.

If you randomly pull a hundred people from the crowd, you might be able to find several with names like "zi".

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Seeing that Li Er seemed unwilling to reveal his real name, the two of them were quite sensible and naturally did not force him to reveal it.

……

"Huh? Look, another Realm Lord is coming!"

As if he had discovered something new and interesting, Zhen Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked straight into the distance.

Li Er also looked over and saw a realm lord dressed in black robes slowly walking towards the square.

His steps were steady and powerful, each step seemingly in harmony with the earth, emanating a mysterious aura, like a veil of mist, making him elusive.

"We now have 98 Realm Lords," the ape-man Zhenche murmured, his eyes slightly narrowed. "We're almost ready to depart!"

"Every time, we have to gather 100 Realm Lords before they're willing to open the entrance to this secret realm. It really tests one's patience! It's been so long since we've fought, my greatsword is itching for a fight!" Zhen Yan frowned and complained with a displeased expression. As he spoke, he gently patted the longsword at his waist, which emitted a low hum, as if responding to its master's desire.

Li Er chatted idly with the two men, their conversation ranging from strange tales of the universe to various cultivation experiences. However, whenever the topic turned to his own background, origins, or other important information, he always skillfully changed the subject, revealing nothing.

He knew all too well that in this vast universe, human nature was treacherous, and there were unknown dangers and traps everywhere.

When you're out and about, you can't easily trust anyone, not even this seemingly generous ape-man brother in front of you.

……

And so, time slowly passed as everyone waited and anticipated.

Two days later, the number of realm lords who had gathered in the square, wanting to enter the secret realm, finally reached 100.

"World Lord level experts, gather here!" A loud shout rang out in the sky above the square, the voice containing an unquestionable majesty.

Soon, a passage radiating a mysterious light slowly opened, and a powerful attraction emanated from within, as if an invisible hand was beckoning everyone.

Li Er stood up, his massive body standing out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.

He slowly walked towards the passage and gathered with the other realm lords.

"Fellow Realm Lords, you are about to travel to the continent where the Purple Chrysalis Beast Clan, an ally of my human race, resides."

A tall, robust, and imposing immortal deity spoke solemnly, his expression grave: "You are all aware of the rules of this secret realm! You must not harm the lives of the celestial beasts indiscriminately! Any violation will be severely punished!"

Li Er and the other hundred realm lords stood there quietly, their expressions solemn, listening attentively to the admonition of the immortal god.

They all knew that this secret realm was bound to be full of challenges, and that following the rules was the prerequisite for their survival and to gain benefits within it.

……

(End of this chapter)