Swallowing the Stars: Ten Thousand Times Return for Taking on Disciples

Chapter 196 The Banyan Tree Clan: The Tragedy of a Small Clan
In a territory far removed from the original secret realm of the virtual universe.

A vast, boundless continent stands in the starry sky.

This is the Banyan Wood Continent within the Myriad Woods Secret Realm, the place where the Banyan Wood Clan has lived and thrived for generations.

"Lord Qingmu, it's been over three years. Why haven't our guests arrived yet? How much longer do we have to wait?"

A young boy from the Banyan Tree Clan, dressed in green rattan armor, glanced at the sky and couldn't help but yawn.

“Rongyang, do you know why Lord Rongku sent you to guard this place? It's to temper your character. You're too impatient…”

"I'm not impatient, I'm just bored. Lord Rongku is too rigid, making us wait here and not even allowing us to connect to the virtual universe. If humans don't come soon, my brothers in the game are about to be wiped out!"

"Haha... Rongyang, if you put the same effort into comprehending the laws of the game into understanding them, you would have already moved into the Elder Palace. Why would you need Lord Rongku to worry about you like this?"

Aoki looked at the young man, his eyes revealing both admiration and regret.

The boy's talent was clearly exceptional, but his mind wasn't on cultivation. Having grown up in the Banyan Tree Secret Realm, he lived a comfortable life, unaware of the cruelty of the universe, and had been corrupted by the games within the virtual universe of humanity.

"Look! It's coming!"

Suddenly, the boy Rongyang let out a scream.

Aoki Hou stood up, and everyone present stood up straight. The spaceship slowly descended; it was a blood-red F-class spaceship.

A young man stepped off the spaceship. Instead of storing it in his world ring, he asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

"It's Rong Zheng, that genius from the Elders' Palace!"

someone whispered.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Lord Aoki relaxed considerably and said with a smile, "So it's His Highness Rongzheng. We're waiting for guests from the Human Virtual Universe Company."

"Human race?"

Rongzheng's eyes lit up.

"Yes, according to the information from the Senate, it should be a prince from a core secret realm of the Human Virtual Universe Company."

"Lord Aoki said with a smile."

"Human geniuses rarely come to our Rongmu tribe. I remember countless years ago, a human genius came to our Rongmu tribe and defeated all the geniuses in our Rongmu tribe. This event was recorded in the textbooks of the Elder Palace. I never thought that I, Rong Zheng, would also witness the arrival of a human genius."

Rong Zheng's tone carried a hint of excitement.

Qingmu Hou frowned and said, "Your Highness Rongzheng, humans are guests of our Rongmu Clan. You must not challenge them rashly. If you offend them, the Elders' Palace may hold you accountable."

Rong Zheng smiled and said, "Lord Qingmu, you are too sensitive. Our Rongmu clan and the human race have been friendly for generations. This is a warning written on the sacred monument. How dare I disobey it? I just want to see the demeanor of that human genius. Even if it is a challenge... I will ask for His Highness's consent first."

"Rongzheng, it's good that you know what's important. Human geniuses are often not alone; they have teachers and elders behind them. If we anger a human genius, it may affect the human race's evaluation of our Rongmu Clan."

"Rongzheng understands..."

……

at this time.

In the sky, a huge spaceship shining with dazzling golden light appeared above the continent.

Everyone looked up.

The spaceship seemed to have two large eyes, scanning its surroundings before slowly descending.

"What class of spaceship is this?"

Rongzheng looked at the sky in surprise.

Aoki Hou's expression was solemn as he said in a low voice, "It's a metal spaceship, a spaceship that has fused with precious metal life forms. Moreover, the metal life forms on the spaceship have already broken through to the immortal level. Even I might not be its match."

A Marquis-level expert, even within the entire Banyan Tree Clan, is considered a high-ranking member, yet he claims his strength is inferior to that of a spaceship?
Rong Zheng looked at the enormous object in the sky, then at his own F6-class spaceship parked beside him, and suddenly felt a little inferior. As the spaceship in the sky slowly descended, he quietly put his own spaceship away.

"Human geniuses are indeed wealthy. A genius's spaceship is even comparable to that of Qingmu Hou..." Young Rongyang was very excited: "I've only ever seen metal spaceships in games."

The spaceship's hatch slowly slid open.

Lu Qingshan, dressed in a long blue robe, walked out.

The Void Ship transformed into a golden ray of light and flew directly into his world ring.

This left Rongyang, who was standing nearby, somewhat disappointed, as he wanted to get a closer look at the metal spaceship.

"I am Lord Qingmu, welcome to guests from afar."

"Welcome, guests."

Hundreds of Rongmu people bowed in unison.

"Lord Aoki, you're too kind."

Lu Qingshan returned the greeting.

Aoki then asked, "How should we address the guest?"

"Just call me Qingshan."

Lu Qingshan responded with a smile.

……

Then Lu Qingshan presented a jade talisman to prove his identity.

The jade talisman was personally crafted by an elder of the Banyan Tree Clan, and it is impossible to imitate.

Upon seeing the jade talisman, the last trace of doubt in Qingmu Hou's heart was completely dispelled.

Anyone with a jade talisman is considered the most precious guest of the Banyan Tree Clan.

"Your Highness, you've arrived a bit early. It will take another three months for the Banyan Heart to fully mature. I'll take you to the Elder Palace to meet Lord Rongku first, or you can also visit our Holy City."

"That's what Lord Aoki said politely."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Lu Qingshan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Lu Qingshan's attitude won the favor of all the Rongmu Clan guards present.

Those geniuses in their Senate all like to look down on people; how could a human guest be so polite?

Following the host's lead, Lu Qingshan transferred to Qingmu Hou's spaceship and headed towards the Holy City.

……

at the same time.

In the Elders' Palace, an old man with white hair and beard, and a face like decaying wood, looked at the message sent by Marquis Qingmu.

"A genius known as Aoyama by humans!"

He asked an old friend in Chaos City and learned some information from him.

"Qian Wu's disciple? A Primal Secret Realm Master-level genius!"

His expression became more serious.

He then summoned his disciple.

“Ku Xin, the human genius is about to arrive. Please greet him on my behalf.”

"Teacher, weren't all the previous human geniuses received by King Rongku? Is this time different?"

"That's right... The one who came to our Banyan Tree Secret Realm this time is a Realm Lord from the Primal Secret Realm of the Virtual Universe, and he is also a disciple of Venerable Qianwu. The geniuses of the Primal Secret Realm are the top geniuses of the human Virtual Universe Company, and they generally have the potential to become kings. In the future, they will definitely have a certain voice in the human race. It will be beneficial to our Banyan Tree Clan to be on good terms with him. Moreover, his teacher is Venerable Qianwu, who is an existence as ancient as our clan's ancestor. He has a great voice in the human race. If we can gain his friendship, it will be of great benefit to our Banyan Tree Clan."

"Teacher, I understand. I will arrange everything and make sure His Highness is satisfied."

Hearing his teacher say this, the old man nodded.

As a subordinate race, the Banyan Tree Clan is very good at recognizing its position. Over the years, through hard work and dedication, they have established friendships with many kings and venerables of the human race.

This is a very valuable opportunity. Both the genius prince and the Qianwu Venerable behind him are people that the Rongmu Clan needs to befriend.

"Besides the Banyan Heart, which only comes once every million years, before that genius leaves this time, send him a portion of Banyan Liquid," the white-haired elder said again.

The elder was slightly surprised, then nodded: "Disciple understands."

……

Lu Qingshan, who was chatting with Qingmu Hou, was unaware that his information had been discovered by the elders of the Rongmu Clan.

The spaceship is still traversing the dark universe.

"Lord Qingmu, I never imagined the Banyan Tree Continent was so vast. I thought the Myriad Trees Secret Realm was like other secret realms." Lu Qingshan took a sip of the fine wine. The Banyan Tree Clan was naturally in sync with plants, and their winemaking skills were even more professional.

Speaking of the Banyan Wood Continent, Qingmu Hou's face showed a hint of pride: "In the beginning, this Myriad Wood Secret Realm did not actually have such a continent. When our Banyan Wood Clan ancestors moved here, all the clansmen worked together to create the home we live in now."

Lu Qingshan was somewhat surprised: "According to the information I found, the Banyan Tree Continent is about 12 light-years away, such a large continent..."

"Hehe, it is a miracle, but it is a true fact. From the Realm Lords to the Universe Venerables, the ancestors of the Banyan Tree Clan worked hard for countless years to create the Banyan Tree Continent we have today."

"This is truly a miracle," Lu Qingshan said admiringly.

Reaching the realm of a World Lord allows one to create worlds, but to create such a vast world can only be described as a miracle.

Lu Qingshan knew about that part of history.

The Lord of the Banyan Tree fell, and his dying words instructed the Banyan Tree Clan to submit to the Human Race. Countless sages of the Banyan Tree Clan left their homeland and migrated to the territory of the Human Race, creating a miraculous continent in this Myriad Trees Secret Realm.

History is always a simple sentence, but only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand how cruel yet magnificent it is.

This is also a tragedy for a small clan.

A race like the Banyan Tree Clan has only one Universe Lord. Even in a place like the Primordial Star, they probably wouldn't dare to compete with the Universe Overlord of a top race, because he has an entire clan behind him.

If it weren't for the decisive action of the Banyan Tree Lord, who led his entire clan to join the human race after his fall, it's uncertain whether the Banyan Tree clan would even exist today.

Every time the Primordial Star opens, the powerful members of those minor races who die, whether they are Lords of the Universe or Venerables of the Universe, face the same life-or-death test as the Banyan Tree Clan at the moment of their death!

……

"arrive!"

Aoki Hou's spaceship was not fast, only 20 times the speed of light. It took them three months to arrive above an ancient city.

A group of people landed slowly.

It immediately attracted countless eyes from those around.

"They are human."

"I saw humans."

"I remember the last time I saw humans was a million years ago."

"I wonder what the differences are between the real-world human race and the one in the virtual universe?"

……

With a wave of his hand, Qingmu Hou summoned a group of Realm Lord-level guards to maintain order around him. He explained with a smile, "Residents of the Holy City rarely have contact with the outside world, so it's understandable that they might be surprised to see Your Highness. But Your Highness, rest assured, every member of our Rongmu Clan is the best friend of the human race."

"I've already felt the warmth of the Banyan Tree tribe, haven't I?"

Lu Qingshan smiled slightly, ignoring the surrounding noise, and followed Qingmu Hou into the Elders' Palace.

As they passed by a group of Banyan Tree Clan members who were cultivating, they noticed Lu Qingshan glancing at them a few more times.

Lord Aoki immediately stepped forward to explain.

“Those are the most talented young people in our Banyan Tree Clan. Although they cannot compare to Your Highness, each of them has the potential to become immortal. A Banyan Tree can cultivate three Banyan Hearts in a million years. One of them will be given to Your Highness, and the remaining two will depend on which one is the luckiest!”

(End of this chapter)