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

Chapter 365 Thunder and Beta, Mission Cancelled
Virtual universe, a special dimension.

"teacher!"

The Demon King looked at the powerful figure with a pair of black wings in front of him with a very respectful expression.

"Demon Heart, the reason I summoned you here is to ask you about that matter between you and the King of Ten Thousand Laws. How did you handle it?"

"teacher……"

Demon King was startled. This was the third time his teacher had brought up the matter. Fortunately, he had taken it to heart after the last time and personally went to Chaos City to resolve the grudge between the two.

Otherwise, if the teacher does not receive a satisfactory answer today, their opinion of him will likely be much lower.

“Teacher, ever since you reminded me last time, I have…”

The Demon King slowly began to speak, recounting how he investigated and found the results, how he compensated the disciple of the King of Ten Thousand Laws, and how he personally went to Chaos City to apologize.

After he finished speaking, he clearly felt that the pressure in front of him seemed to have lessened considerably.

"Demon Heart, you handled this matter quite promptly..." Dark Demon Venerable sighed, "Do you know that the Myriad Law King of the Virtual Universe Company has now successfully broken through to become a Universe Venerable?"

"Lord of the Universe?"

The Demon King exclaimed in shock, his expression one of utter astonishment.

How terrifying is the Supreme Being of the Universe?

That's the same level as a teacher; even within the human race, that's a pinnacle of achievement.

How long has the King of Ten Thousand Laws been an immortal god? At most, only a few eras. Yet now he has become a teacher-like figure.

A mix of emotions—gratitude, jealousy, envy, and fear—swirled in the Demon King's heart.

He was originally a master of the soul, having cultivated the "Six Desires Devouring Soul" and "Demon Heart Controlling Soul" created by his teacher. Naturally, his will was firm, but now he could not perfectly control his expression.

"Don't even mention you. Even I was shocked to receive this news. To break through to the Universe Venerable in such a short time shows that the Venerable of Ten Thousand Laws has too much talent. So much so that we Universe Venerables have to look up to him. His future achievements will definitely be extraordinary. Even I don't dare to offend him now. Your initiative to apologize and resolve the grudge can be considered as making amends after the fact."

"Thanks to your reminder, teacher."

The Demon King knelt on the ground, feeling a lingering fear in his heart.

If the grudge between him and the other party had not been resolved, and the King of Ten Thousand Laws, now the Venerable of Ten Thousand Laws, could have directly killed him based on the grudge between them, the higher-ups of the human race probably wouldn't have had any objections.

The difference between a Cosmic Venerable and an Immortal King is too great.

His powerful backers might deter other powerful figures from harming him, but even a cosmic venerable might not give his teacher the same respect.

"Hmm..." Dark Demon Venerable simply nodded, then continued to advise, "Although you have resolved your grudges, it is inevitable that a trace of resentment will remain in the heart of Venerable Wanfa. Your family's territory is adjacent to the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, so you must not have any further conflicts with the Qianwu Universe."

"The disciple understands."

"Yes, go ahead, and learn from this experience."

"Yes."

The Demon King left the virtual universe and returned to reality, his face still showing shock.

The teacher would never lie to him.

Venerable One of Ten Thousand Laws... Venerable One of Ten Thousand Laws...

The Demon King muttered to himself, recalling the ambitions he had held since leaving Green Mountain Residence. Now, thinking back, they seemed like nothing more than a joke.

Catching up with the other party? Ridiculous. Even if the other party stops progressing now, it's still a height he can never reach.

The gap between him and the other person will not narrow at all; on the contrary, it will only widen.

"The teacher's reminder was timely. Although Venerable Wanfa had personally promised not to pursue this matter further, he may still harbor some resentment. If he were to seize upon any weakness of my Barnes family, then..."

Families granted titles of nobility enjoy special privileges, so they generally act in ways that exceed the established rules.

This is an unspoken rule, and generally no one will care. But if it is being watched by a cosmic being, it is a disaster.

Sometimes, doing things strictly according to the rules can be a terrible thing.

Without further hesitation, the Demon King summoned all the high-ranking members of the Barnes family to his palace.

"Dean, Gaia!"

The Demon King looked at the two immortal gods leading the way. They were both at the peak of the Immortal Army Lord level, and were the most powerful beings in the Barnes family besides himself.

"I've met the head of the family."

The two rose and bowed.

The Demon King spoke, "From this day forward, our Barnes family will abolish all slave trade. All the slaves we have previously purchased will be released and we will help them register for legal status within the Barnes Empire and make arrangements for their future."

"Master! You mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, the two immediately became anxious.

“Patriarch, the Barnes Star Region is relatively barren and has few mineral resources. The slave trade currently accounts for the largest part of our family’s income. If the slave trade is abolished, many people in our family may not even have basic cultivation resources.”

"Yes, and arranging those people is also a considerable expense. The head of the family usually doesn't care about these small matters and may not know the number of slaves in our family."

Not only the two of them, but all the other immortal gods were very anxious.

The slave trade was a major source of income for the Barnes family, from which these immortal gods would profit.

"Ok!"

The Demon King snorted coldly, and an aura swept over everyone, so frightening that no one dared to speak.

“I’m informing you, not discussing it with you. If you want the Barnes family wiped out, then continue doing as you please.”

"What? It's that serious?"

"Exterminate the Barnes family..."

Everyone looked at each other.

Could it be that their great patriarch was under some kind of immense pressure to make such an arrangement?

The immortal gods are not fools; from the information revealed by the Demon King, they sensed something unusual.

“I will personally oversee this matter. Anyone who dares to disobey will suffer the same fate as Thor and the clansmen of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom branch. I don’t want to make an example of someone, so I hope you won’t make me take action.”

The immortal deities of the Barnes family all felt a chill run down their spines; they dared not harbor any more illusions.

“Master, I am willing to cooperate with you to abolish all slave trade.”

"Me too, for the Barnes family."

The two strongest individuals were the first to express their opinions, followed by the others who spoke up one after another, and the matter was thus settled.

Although the profits from the slave trade were substantial, they amounted to nothing compared to the survival of the family.

The Demon King looked at each of his clansmen who had expressed their opinions and sighed softly.

"I hope that what I have done this time will dispel the prejudice that Venerable Wanfa has against our Barnes family."

The Venerable Wanfa's ban on the slave trade in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom demonstrates his deep dislike for it. Their abolition of the slave trade was, in a way, a statement of their stance.

……

Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, Dragon Star.

As the Maple Leaf Empire developed, the Qilong Star, which was outside the realm of rudimentary cosmic civilization, was also incorporated into the Maple Leaf Empire.

It became the most prosperous commercial planet in the Maple Leaf Empire, even surpassing the Maple Leaf Empire's capital.

After all, the capital of the Maple Leaf Empire now is not the Maple Leaf Star of the past.

In Qiu Longxing's luxurious restaurant.

A composed young man with a single horn on his head sat opposite a general of the Dragon Star Guard, who was wearing silver armor.

The lightning bolt mark between the eyebrows of the one-horned boy was very obvious.

"I never imagined that the naive boy who came to Qiulong Star with his teacher back then would now be a powerful World Lord-level expert, and a World Lord recognized by the Origin Laws."

A hint of envy flashed in the eyes of the general in silver armor.

Lei Ming chuckled: "You're not bad either, Beta. It's been tens of thousands of years since we last met. I really didn't expect to run into you on Qiulong Star. I still vividly remember how bitter and resentful you looked back then."

"You flatter me. The slave owner who controlled our home planet back then was scared away by Lord Silver Armor Blue. I gained ownership of the home planet and have now broken through to the Domain Lord level, becoming one of the three great generals of this Dragon Star. I have no regrets."

General Beta, clad in silver armor, is very satisfied with his current life.

Do you remember Mona?

Beta opened its mouth.

“Mona…” Lei Ming took a deep breath, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips when he thought of the name: “I remember, that girl from the Illusionary Star, who worked in a plant shop, was very innocent and beautiful. How is she now?”

"Dead!" Beta's words were a real letdown. He laughed and said, "Don't overthink it. She didn't encounter any danger. She's fine. She became the savior of the Rainbow Star, and later even broke through to the stellar level. She lived for ten thousand years. When she passed away, billions of people on the Rainbow Star came to see her off. She was very lucky..."

“However…” Beta looked at Lei Ming’s expression and changed the subject, saying, “Mona never married or dated anyone in her entire life. She said she was always waiting for someone. But that person was too cruel. For over ten thousand years, until the end of her life, he never appeared again and could only leave with regret.”

“Is that so…” Lei Ming didn’t reply. Back then, he did have some feelings for Mona. Later, when he was undergoing trials with his teacher, he made the first stop on the Illusionary Star, killed the three demons, and returned the Illusionary Star to Mona’s people.

To this day, the Illusionary Star is still nominally, but in reality, under his name.

However, he soon went to the primordial universe to cultivate in seclusion.

Tens of thousands of years have passed since he left the initial universe... The world has changed so much that he would have almost forgotten about it if Beta hadn't brought it up himself.

"Beta, I'm sorry, back then..."

"Don't say that. You were just a star-level being back then. The one who enslaved my home planet was a domain lord-level being."

Beta quickly shook his head.

"Actually, I'm already very happy to see you again. Let's go visit the Fantasy Star when you have time."

"Yes, I had this idea when I returned to the Maple Leaf Empire this time."

With the expansion of the Maple Leaf Empire, it now possesses territories in more than twenty star systems, including this Illusionary Star.

"Hmm?" Beta seemed to have received some news and showed a slightly apologetic expression: "Brother Leiming, I have some things to attend to and must leave first. Please come visit Qiulong Star often in the future."

"Go ahead and get busy," Lei Ming nodded.

……

Not far from the restaurant, in an ordinary bungalow.

A hint of resentment flashed in the eyes of the old man dressed in hemp clothing.

"Cancel the mission? Why cancel the mission? I've waited for tens of thousands of years, and now I've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I've finally met Lu Qingshan's disciple. Why cancel this mission?"

“Quinn, I have no choice. According to reliable sources, Lu Qingshan has become a Universe Venerable. Your assassination attempt is meaningless. Go to the Zerg territory. As long as you kill that genius, your mission will still be considered complete.”

"Damn it!"

Quinn's somber eyes closed as he shut down a mechanical communication screen. This was a product of the Machine Race; to avoid detection from the virtual universe, they could only communicate in the most primitive way.

That Zerg genius is a disciple of a universe master. Killing him would be much riskier for him... and he would also face the risk of being hunted down by the universe master after gaining his freedom.

Lu Qingshan... has become a Universe Venerable...

So fast.

Venerable Quinn never expected that... before he could even meet Lu Qingshan, he would receive news that Lu Qingshan had become a Universe Venerable.

At that moment, a young man in silver armor walked outside the door.

Quinn composed himself and watched as the other person pushed open the door and walked in.

"I've met Mr. Kui..."

“Beta, haven’t you always wanted to become my disciple?” Quinn said.

After spending ten thousand years together, he developed a fondness for this kind-hearted boy. However, he couldn't do this because of his mission, otherwise he would have harmed the boy.

"Disciple Beta greets Master."

Upon hearing this, Beta was overjoyed and immediately knelt down on the ground.

He knew that this Mr. Kui was very powerful, at least at the level of a World Lord. If it weren't for Mr. Kui's guidance, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to break through to the level of a Domain Lord.

Moreover, this Mr. Kui is very indifferent to fame and fortune. He has been living in seclusion on Qiulong Star for many years and does not like to be disturbed. Beta has never revealed any information about him.

Quinn smiled and quietly withdrew a wisp of his spiritual imprint from Beta.

He gave the other person advice, which, though well-intentioned, was still cautious. If the other person did not tell others about him as agreed, this spiritual imprint would cause the other person to die silently.

"I owe my current success entirely to two secret techniques, which are extremely valuable."

Quinn took out a world ring and threw it over.

"Here are some basic secret techniques, and some resources sufficient for you to cultivate to the level of an immortal god. I will directly imprint those two secret techniques into your mind. Only when your will breaks through to the level of an immortal god will you be able to obtain the memories of those secret techniques..."

Beta raised his hand and put the World Ring away. He was shocked after just one glance at it.

There are so many treasures inside, as well as many secret manuals.

"Teacher, are you planning to leave?"

"Well... I'm just a passerby, and I'll naturally leave when my time comes."

"Will this disciple have another chance to see Master in the future?"

Beta asked with some concern.

"After you learn my two secret techniques, perhaps you'll still have a chance... or perhaps you'll never have a chance..."

Quinn shook his head, and with a wave of his hand, Beta fainted. A moment later, his figure vanished without a trace before his disciple's eyes.

(End of this chapter)