Swallowed Star: Primordial Artifact

Chapter 257 Spectacular
"Is this the legendary Star Tower?" Jiang Ye murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the mysterious and majestic building on the projection screen.

"Master, would you like to go to the Star Tower?" Inside the spaceship, Dark Thunder King, dressed as a butler, stood quietly to the side, holding a tray. He followed Jiang Ye's gaze and, upon seeing the familiar building, couldn't help but pause slightly.

Jiang Ye leaned back lazily on the sofa, gently swirling a glass of fruit wine in his hand, the liquid inside shimmering with an alluring luster.

He smiled slightly, revealing a confident expression: "My military merits have long been up to par. Now that I'm on the battlefield outside the domain, it would be such a pity not to visit the most dangerous places! In terms of danger, the Star Tower is the most top-tier. Compared to it, the Flame Sacrifice Continent is simply a level below."

Actually, Jiang Ye had another thought in his heart that he didn't say aloud. This Star Tower was a God-King level weapon. Although he knew that the possibility of obtaining it was extremely slim, he would be really unwilling if he couldn't even try.

“Indeed, with your current strength and reputation, it is not appropriate for you to stay on the Yanji Continent!” Dark Thunder King respectfully echoed from the side. “There are very few King-level experts on the Yanji Continent, only a handful in total. But the Star Tower has gathered hundreds of thousands of King-level Immortals from the four major factions.”

"Hundreds of thousands of Kings!" Jiang Ye exclaimed. "Within the Hong Alliance, our human race only has a little over 100,000 Kings, but in this seventh battlefield of the extraterrestrial battlefield, just in the Star Tower alone, there are so many Kings gathered."

"Haha, Master, this isn't even the peak," Dark Thunder King explained. "You must understand that the Hong Alliance and the human camp are not the same concept. Anyone who joins the Hong Alliance is a staunch ally of humanity, and whether it's a war large or small, or any conflict of interest, the races within the Hong Alliance are tightly bound to humanity, like they're on the same war chariot. But the human camp in the outer battlefield is different... It's an extremely loose camp, and the Hong Alliance is only a part of it. There are billions of races in the universe, and the outer battlefield is a place where powerful beings gather. Many races that have no connection with the Hong Alliance will also negotiate with humanity and then send their people into the outer battlefield as members of the human camp."

"Although it is said to be the battlefield of the four top races, in reality, countless alien races participate, and the number of strong people is naturally astonishing. All the kings in the extraterrestrial battlefield... tsk tsk, even if they only account for one percent of all kings in the entire universe, that number is still quite terrifying."

"Of course, that's one reason."

"On the other hand, the Star Tower is very special in the outer battlefield, attracting powerful individuals more easily than in other dangerous places," Dark Thunder King continued. "The Star Tower is special because it contains the treasure 'Suppressing Stars,' the same one used by Star Crystal King before." Dark Thunder King couldn't help but sigh.

"I've heard that only the supreme rulers of the universe have the ability to safely enter the depths of the Nine-Spinning Nebula. As for the sealed stars... look at the pictures later, they've indeed recorded and photographed quite a few. I've been exploring the Star Tower for so many years, and I've personally seen hundreds of sealed stars, but I can only watch them helplessly, unable to obtain them. Unless they appear on their own initiative, no one can do anything about it. I heard that when the super powerhouses of the four peak races first discovered this Star Tower, they even had a super war over it."

"A super war? Tell me more about it." Jiang Ye became interested and quickly pressed for details. Although he had read the original work, the description was brief. He had only been in this world for a thousand years, and an old guy like Dark Thunder King, with such a long lifespan, must know many more untold legends.

"Yes, Master." Dark Thunder King nodded. "Back then, the four top races opened up a battlefield and chose this unfamiliar star field, then began their sweep. When they accidentally discovered the Star Tower, the Universe Venerables in charge of the sweep sensed the terror of the 'Nine-Spinning Nebula' and found that their attacks couldn't cause the slightest damage to the Star Tower. They immediately recognized it as an unparalleled treasure. It is said that they immediately summoned the Universe Lord-level powerhouses from their races. For this Star Tower, the four top races launched a great war. I heard that many Universe Venerables perished because of it, and as for who won and who lost, I don't know. I only know that even the Universe Lords, who were invincible throughout the universe, were helpless against this Star Tower and could only let it stand here for countless years."

"Oh?" Jiang Ye nodded slightly. He knew that treasures could grow larger, but there were usually limitations. A supreme treasure like the "Starry Sky Cloak" could expand to a scale of several light-years, provided the body could withstand it, but the prerequisite was that he had the strength to do so.

This Star Tower, reaching a height of nine light-years, seems to be that enormous in its own right, and it has also given birth to countless sealed stars. In this primordial universe where only sixth-order power can be unleashed, even the strongest being in the universe (a true god) cannot do anything about it.

“Countless races throughout the universe say that this Star Tower is a supreme cosmic artifact,” Dark Thunder King said with emotion. “It is a treasure that can drive even the Lord of the Universe crazy. Even though it has existed in that star field for billions of years, no powerful being has been able to forcibly take it away, which has made its fame far and wide.”

This unclaimed object, even the vortex of energy it created could easily annihilate a cosmic venerable... It even sparked a fierce battle among the four most powerful races, yet they were still unable to take it away after the war... The sealed treasures inside, such as the 'Star-Sealing Treasure,' are countless...

These characteristics are enough to drive countless ethnic groups crazy!
“The peak races, those are the most powerful races in the universe,” Dark Thunder King continued. “Even the four peak races couldn’t take away this Star Tower. This made the strong in the universe realize that brute force alone is not enough. Everyone thinks that this Star Tower may be waiting for a true master, or perhaps no one is even qualified to be its master.”

"At least a treasure of the God-King level is something that no one other than a True God can control," Jiang Ye muttered disdainfully.

To be honest, he always felt that the Star Tower might be a treasure left by the future Lord Luo to the present Luo Feng.

After all, the Mountain Guest had said that when he spent countless precious materials and treasures to refine the treasure "Star Tower", some special changes occurred that exceeded his expectations, which greatly enhanced the power of the Star Tower.

The fact that even the Refining God King, the Mountain Guest, couldn't figure out this special change must have come from a powerhouse far beyond the God King level.

"Rumors about the Star Tower are varied, but the powerful all harbor a sliver of hope that they might have the opportunity to become its master. After all, such opportunities are inherently elusive," Dark Thunder King continued. "It is precisely because countless powerful individuals share this ambition that there are so many Kings of various races residing within the Star Tower. Moreover... occasionally, a sealing star will appear within the Star Tower! Each sealing star is a treasure capable of sealing powerful individuals, enough to drive Kings mad. Furthermore, since even the Lord of the Universe cannot destroy it, no matter how fierce the battle, it naturally becomes the ultimate battleground."

Jiang Ye nodded in agreement: "The Star Tower is definitely worth a visit to broaden our horizons." He then stretched.
"Let's go, Dark Thunder, let's set off." With that, he stood up.

"Yes, Master," Dark Thunder King replied respectfully.

******
The Night Star spaceship sped through the dark universe, and it took a whole day before it finally arrived at the shuttle point closest to the Star Tower.

……

In the void, ripples quietly spread, and a silver sword-shaped spaceship with sharp edges and a ferocious appearance slowly emerged.

In the spaceship's control room, Jiang Ye, clad in golden armor and a silver robe, stood alone. His servant, Dark Thunder King, was temporarily housed in a world within the World Ring. After all, Jiang Ye's own combat strength was not to be underestimated; he was capable of venturing into the Star Tower.

If trouble arises, it's not too late to send Dark Thunder King out; revealing one's trump card too early is clearly unwise.

“What a spectacle!”

Jiang Ye gazed at the void ahead and exclaimed in amazement, "The Star Tower is actually nine light-years tall! A tower that is so much larger than the Yanji Continent! Even from this distance, it feels unimaginably large." The towering Star Tower floated in the starry sky, seemingly covering half of the universe.

At the center of the Star Tower, a dazzling nebula vortex, like a pack of mad beasts, greedily devours endless energy. This seemingly beautiful and dazzling "Nine-Spinning Nebula" is actually a nightmare for the powerful; even a cosmic venerable would be mercilessly torn apart and annihilated if he ventured into it.

"Incredible, truly incredible," Jiang Ye exclaimed, gazing at the distant Star Tower.

"But looking at this Star Tower, I don't feel the same sense of summoning as Luo Feng described in the original story," Jiang Ye muttered to himself. "Never mind, don't think too much about it. Let's go check out the Star Tower first."

As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," the Star Tower seemed to cover half the universe from afar, but even though Jiang Ye could teleport a light-year at a time, it still took him half a day to get close.

"I wonder how magnificent the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, which is even stronger than this, would be!" During the flight, Jiang Ye couldn't help but think of the rewards the system had given him before.

"This damn system actually put things in the cosmic sea," Jiang Ye cursed inwardly. "I wonder when I'll be able to see them."

******
The Star Tower is surrounded by a dazzling vortex of nebulae, dreamlike yet fraught with hidden danger.

However, there was no nebula vortex surrounding the base of the tower. The tower has nine floors, and the bottom first floor has nine entrances. Many alien kings and some marquises who came with a try-it-out mentality were entering one after another through one of the entrances.

"We've arrived." A golden streak of light abruptly stopped, and Jiang Ye, clad in golden armor and a silver robe, came to a steady halt before the entrance.

Standing in front of the Star Tower, you can't see the end of it at all. What does nine light-years mean? Compared to it, the sun is like dust compared to a mountain, insignificant and minuscule.

"Let's give it a try. Just in case, it might recognize me as its master." Jiang Ye took a deep breath. Although he knew the hope was extremely slim, a burning expectation still ignited deep within his heart. He slowly stretched out his palm and gently touched the edge of the massive tower gate, which was millions of kilometers high.

The black door frame was icy cold to the touch, and a sense of anticipation welled up in his heart the moment his hand touched it.

"I will acknowledge you as my master." Jiang Ye infused a wisp of his mental energy into the Star Tower, attempting to imprint his spiritual mark upon it. However, the moment the mental energy penetrated, it vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea. The Star Tower remained standing there silently, unresponsive; Jiang Ye was utterly unable to acknowledge it as his master and control it. Undeterred, he tried dripping blood onto the doorframe, but this time he changed the location, no longer limiting himself to the doorframe, but attempting the same material on the Star Tower's floor.

Time and time again, the result was still failure. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get the Star Tower to recognize him as its master.

"As expected, there wasn't even the slightest reaction?" A knowing glint flashed in Jiang Ye's eyes.

Whoosh!
Just then, a figure appeared out of thin air in the distance behind Jiang Ye, and then, in a flash, the figure arrived beside Jiang Ye.

"Kill the King of Gold?" a passionate shout rang out.

Jiang Ye turned his head and saw a strangely shaped male alien powerhouse standing before him.

He was enormous, twice the height of an average person, his entire body covered in dark purple scales that gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. His head resembled that of a giant bat, with long, pointed ears and eyes that emitted a ghostly green light. His arms were thick and powerful, each hand bearing six fingers with sharp, hook-like tips. He also possessed a pair of enormous fleshy wings on his back, which, when spread out, were tens of meters wide.

Jiang Ye recognized him at a glance and said with a smile, "Bloodwing King." Bloodwing King was quite famous in the 021st military base. Although he was only at the peak of the King level, he had escaped from the Zerg Queen Nan Cheng. Jiang Ye had an amazing memory and naturally remembered him.

"Haha, what a coincidence! To run into the infamous King of Gold Slayers here." The Bloodwing King grinned, revealing a set of sharp fangs. Due to his race's appearance, the smile looked particularly ferocious, but perhaps he himself thought it was quite friendly. "I've heard of your deeds and have always hoped to meet you. I never expected to encounter you at the gate of the Star Tower. King of Gold Slayers, were you just trying to establish a master?"

Jiang Ye was slightly taken aback.

"Wait a moment, let me try too." Bloodwing King said, and began to try as well, dripping blood and branding his spirit mark. After a while, he turned his head and shook his head helplessly, saying, "Alas, it seems I don't have this opportunity. Every powerful person from various races who comes to the Star Tower for the first time tries to recognize a master, and maybe they will have great luck. Unfortunately, over the years, countless powerful people from other races have tried, but none of them have succeeded."

Jiang Ye smiled and nodded: "I didn't succeed either."

"King of Slaughtering Gold, what do you think about us venturing into the Star Tower together?" King Bloodwing suggested. "The Star Tower is fraught with danger, the tower itself is perilous, and there are hundreds of thousands of alien kings... If a battle were to break out, the scene would be quite terrifying." This invitation was also based on Jiang Ye's strength. King Bloodwing had come alone and hadn't found a suitable companion for the time being, while Jiang Ye's reputation as "King of Slaughtering Gold" was legendary, so he was naturally willing to travel with Jiang Ye.

"No, thank you," Jiang Ye declined with a smile.

Bloodwing King listened and didn't ask any further questions. After all, they were different races, and each had their own thoughts and privacy. He wouldn't pry, and simply smiled and said, "Then I'll go in first." He then transformed into a blur and quickly darted into the tower.

Jiang Ye waited a moment longer before stepping into the Star Tower alone. He knew he had many trump cards, and the presence of other powerful figures would often be a hindrance. He preferred to travel alone, especially since he had his servant, Dark Thunder King… why would he need a Bloodwing King, a peak-level King-level expert, to accompany him?

(End of this chapter)