Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 81 Thunderstorm Holy City
For a moment, Ling Xuan could not hide his joy.

Venerable Qianyue smiled as he watched Ling Xuan, and only after Ling Xuan had finished playing and landed on the ground did he smile slightly, "Uncle-Master, then I won't disturb you any longer."

Ling Xuan nodded somewhat embarrassedly, realizing that he, a mere domain lord, had been keeping a high-level universe venerable waiting for half a day.

Even if he is the senior apprentice, he shouldn't be so arrogant.

"Qianyue, you go ahead and get busy."

After bowing respectfully to Jiang Li, Venerable Qian Yue left Jiang Li's cultivation chamber, showing great respect for his senior uncle.

……

One year later.

Three human armies swept through the Chaos Ruins like plowshares sweeping through a field.

Today, the once smoke-filled battlefield is now silent, replaced by mining platforms suspended high in the sky.

Only the lingering blood-red clouds symbolize the mystery that this secret realm once held.

The transformation of the entire secret realm will only begin after a thorough survey and understanding of its potential.

The remaining inhabitants of the Chaos Ruins, those once majestic beasts, are now bound by energy shackles, mechanically moving ores containing rare resources amidst the curses of human overseers.

These indigenous people are much cheaper than machines, which break down after a while and require maintenance.

However, these strange beasts are all powerful cultivators, and they will not break down if given a few hours of cultivation time each day.

Mining in three shifts saves time, effort, and money, since the cosmic energy within the secret realm is completely free.

After conquering this secret realm, the five legions began searching for the former cities and treasure troves of these native inhabitants.

According to some immortal-level captives, the five main gods ruled the Chaos Ruins for billions of years, each residing in one of the five holy cities.

The five holy cities are filled with countless treasures, and the most devout and talented beast god subjects have the opportunity to be summoned to the holy city and bestowed with treasures.

The routes to the five holy cities are known only to the five chief gods.

On this day, Ling Xuan was cultivating on a floating island in the Chaos Ruins.

This floating island was built by the Giant Axe Arena at great expense over the past year, serving as a temporary office location for managing the entire Chaos Ruins.

Venerable Qianyue suddenly arrived at the place where Lingxuan was in seclusion.

"Qianyue, aren't you searching for traces of the Holy City?" Ling Xuan asked curiously, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Venerable Qianyue's tied-up silver ponytail.

Why does this venerable junior disciple keep running towards me?
Upon hearing this, Venerable Qianyue smiled slightly, his silver hair swaying gently as he tilted his head: "Uncle-Master, to be honest, we have found traces of the first holy city. We have come to invite you, the chief person in charge of the secret realm development, to make a decision."

Before she finished speaking, she waved her hand lightly, and the holographic projection in the secret room suddenly lit up. In the scene of surging dark purple mist, the ancient city appeared and disappeared, and the strange patterns on the city walls and the lightning leaping at the city gate were like a lurking beast.

Ling Xuan leaned closer to look, his pupils contracting slightly.

As the camera zooms out, the holy city gradually reveals its full appearance.

This holy city is not located in the high places that ordinary powerful people like, built on mountain peaks or in the clouds, but in a secluded and deep valley.

As the camera zoomed out, Ling Xuan realized just how deep the valley was.

The entire Chaos Ruins is only twelve light-years in diameter and a little over one light-year thick, yet this abyss is nearly 0.5 light-years deep.

"No wonder it's so hard to find." He murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping over the countless perilous places surrounding the abyss in the projection. Those distorted spatial currents and energy storms were definitely not something an ordinary spaceship could traverse.

The number of super-strong individuals from the five legions is limited, and they are scattered sparsely across such a vast secret realm.

Finding the holy city in just one year can already be considered quite lucky.

However, the fact that this Venerable Nephew reported to him the moment he found the Holy City shows that he truly cares for him and that he hadn't made a mistake in bringing him here. "It seems this Holy City is not easy to enter. Has Senior Brother Guiyi not returned yet?" Ling Xuan stroked his chin, his brows furrowing as he thought of Venerable Guiyi's pursuit of the Flood Dragon God a year ago, which had yet to be completed.

With the strength of the Venerable Guiyi, the overlord of the universe, he should have been able to kill them in one fell swoop if he caught them.

Venerable Qianyue explained with a smile, "Guiyi sent word that the Flood Dragon God had escaped. He tracked him down and couldn't let him wreak havoc in the outside world."

"Then let's go ahead first, so as not to keep Senior Tianfeng and the others waiting." Ling Xuan stood up and started walking.

Venerable Qianyue followed with a light laugh, a faint, cool fragrance wafting from his flowing hair.

As soon as he stepped out of the secret chamber, Ling Xuan couldn't wait to unfold his flying wings. The wings were shimmering with light as he stretched them out, and he wanted to experience the effects of this treasure.

But just as he took to the air, Venerable Qianyue's voice rang out behind him: "Uncle-Master, you're flying too slowly. Let me teleport you with me."

The moment he finished speaking, a divine force, like a serpent, coiled around his waist, warm yet full of control.

Before Ling Xuan could react, the surrounding space suddenly distorted, and the scene on his retina frantically reassembled like a shattered mirror.

One second he was bathed in the light of the floating island, the next he was enveloped in a bone-chilling cold.

Once Ling Xuan regained his footing, he realized he had fallen to the bottom of the abyss he had seen earlier.

Thick, dark purple mist surged, with eerie blue electric snakes coiled within each wisp of fog. The moment they appeared, dozens of bolts of lightning shot out like arrows.

The Venerable Qianyue reacted with lightning speed. He swung his long arm and wielded his axe, unleashing several streaks of crimson light like shooting stars. These streaks drew magnificent arcs in the air, and the curves of his waist and hips were outlined in breathtaking arcs beneath his armor as he precisely shattered each bolt of lightning.

"This is the Divine Lightning of the Thunderstorm Holy City. Even a King-level Immortal would be instantly annihilated if struck by it," Venerable Qianyue explained to Ling Xuan while vigilantly observing his surroundings.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xuan swallowed hard, a wave of fear washing over him. He unconsciously moved closer to her, seeking a sense of security.

Upon seeing this, Venerable Qianyue covered his mouth and chuckled, his armor trembling slightly with the laughter, his eyes filled with tenderness and teasing.

Looking up, the holy city resembled the remains of an ancient demon god, silently floating in the mist, its ten-thousand-meter-high walls constructed of black stones gleaming with a cold light.

At the city gate, lightning poured down like liquid mercury, condensing into a phantom image of a three-headed, six-armed Thunder Armor War God, its six vertical pupils swirling with purple lightning.

In front of the phantom of the God of War, three solid figures stood before the city.

Upon seeing Ling Xuan and Venerable Qian Yue approach, the three immediately came to greet them.

Leading the group was naturally the most powerful Heavenly Phoenix Venerable. As she strode over, her long legs were faintly visible beneath her battle skirt, and her hearty laughter rang out first: "Hahaha, our commander-in-chief has arrived."

"Thank you for keeping the three seniors waiting." Ling Xuan quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Venerable Tianfeng waved his hand and chuckled, "What are you saying? You are the person in charge of developing this secret realm. Such an important place can only be opened when you arrive."

On the surface, she spoke earnestly, but in her heart she did not really think that Ling Xuan could play a big role. In her opinion, it was already a blessing if a mere domain lord did not cause any trouble.

However, Venerable Qianyue insisted on having Ling Xuan come, and his reasons were quite valid.

The Chaos Ruins belong to the Giant Axe Arena, and Ling Xuan, as the designated person in charge of the development of the secret realm, must review everything here.

Moreover, everyone's opportunity to go to the Chaos Abyss was due to Ling Xuan's choice.

Generally speaking, it is considered quite a great achievement for a cosmic sovereign to obtain a single treasure within a hundred epochs.

Most adventures end in failure, and you might even encounter various powerful enemies, resulting in fierce battles that drain your divine power and require a lot of time and treasures to recover.

During this trip to the Chaos Ruins, everyone gained a great deal in a short period of time, with each of the universe venerables obtaining several precious treasures.

The Spirit Illusion Venerable has also gained a Universe Venerable servant. This Crocodile God was able to grow into a Universe Venerable even in the closed environment of the Chaos Ruins. With a little nurturing, he has a great chance of advancing to a Middle Venerable.

Having received such a great benefit, it is only right and proper that Ling Xuan come, both to show our stance and to give him the respect he deserves.

(End of this chapter)