Devouring Star Heart: Illusionary Demon Lord

The Zerg, the Demon Race, and the Machine Race could no longer hold back and all ended their observation. Clearly, the Zerg, who had planned ahead, had made thorough preparations and became the first to take action.

Within the virtual world constructed by the Zerg, amidst endless, ethereal clouds, a floating island, resembling a jade palace, stands silently. On the island, Zerg queens with butterfly wings frolic among each other. Their wings shimmer with iridescent light, their bodies like crystal-carved jade, translucent and white, their figures graceful as water. Each face is breathtakingly beautiful; a single furrowed brow and lowered gaze is enough to inspire tenderness in all living beings, who would willingly give their lives to protect them.

"Look, it's an alien race!" One of the queens pointed into the distance, her tone tinged with curiosity. "It's the Dark Nether race from our Zerg Alliance." The other queens all turned their heads, their gazes all focused on the figure that had suddenly appeared—a powerful Dark Nether race warrior whose entire body was covered in a layer of dark keratin, whose face was hidden behind an ancient mask, and who was clad in black armor.

He stood tall and imposing, surrounded by a faint, chilling aura. In an instant, he arrived at the center of the floating island and stopped before the palace carved from ancient wood. The palace doors were already wide open, and the guards outside did not stop him, allowing him to enter.

"Nightshade pays respects to the Lord of Bilong." The masked Dark Nether Clan expert bowed respectfully in the center of the ancient wooden hall, his voice deep and reverent.

Above the main hall, on the wooden throne, sat a peerless figure whose beauty captivated the souls of all powerful beings. She was surrounded by a hazy, colorful mist, obscuring her exact features, yet exuding an aura of dominance over the universe.

"Lord of Nightshade Palace, are you aware of what I want you to do?" The figure on the throne spoke, his voice clear and melodious like the clinking of jade stones, yet carrying an undeniable majesty.

"I understand." The Night Shadow Palace Master replied respectfully, still bowing, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

"If you have anything to say, please speak freely," the being on the wooden throne asked slowly, the colorful mist swirling gently with its voice.

"The Lord of Bilong chose me for several reasons. First, I am the inheritor, with a solid foundation. Second, I had stagnated on the path of the Beast God and had long since abandoned it, determined to cultivate the vast path of space and time. Third, I possess the ability to create clones, which is of great use. Fourth, my Dark Nether Clan is proficient in the art of soul control." The Night Shadow Palace Master spoke slowly, his tone steady. "Therefore, by having me assassinate Wu Qingfeng, the human Heart Illusion Realm Lord, the alliance will pay the least price."

"You're right." The stunning figure on the throne nodded slightly. "Although the Illusionary Heart Realm Lord is only at the Realm Lord level, judging from his performance in the Glory World, his strength far surpasses that of ordinary Universe Venerables. Such a heaven-defying genius must possess a life-saving treasure. To capture him, at least a Universe Overlord would be needed to pose a threat, and a top-tier Universe Overlord would be the safest option. Looking across our Zerg Alliance, you are the most suitable candidate—for the Alliance, it is most appropriate for you to go, but for yourself, the price will be extremely heavy. Losing a top-tier Universe Overlord level avatar will require an immeasurable amount of divine power to re-form; more importantly, you will forever lose the qualification to enter the Ancestral God Cult, completely severing your path of inheritance."

The Nightshade Palace Master stood with her head bowed, listening respectfully without uttering a single word of rebuttal. "The Alliance will do everything in its power to compensate you for everything you have lost," the beautiful voice rang out again. "What are your plans regarding the assassination?"

"As far as Nightshade knows, Wu Qingfeng, the human Heart Illusion Realm Lord, is currently accepting challenges from inheritors of various races and remains in his residence." Palace Master Nightshade raised his head, his tone still respectful. "The Lord of the Universe must also know that every palace on Purple Thorn Island is the exclusive territory of an inheritor of a particular race, and the only area that an inheritor can absolutely control. Other inheritors are strictly prohibited from trespassing. Once they cross the boundary, they will be subjected to a fatal attack from the Five-Colored Aurora Lake and instantly annihilated. Therefore, I cannot trespass even a step. I can only wait for Wu Qingfeng to step out of his residence on his own initiative."

"Moreover, deliberately luring him out to avoid alerting humans is not a good idea. The simplest, but also the safest, method is to lie low and wait for him to come out of the mansion on his own initiative," the Nightshade Palace Master said in a deep voice.

Above the main hall, the stunningly beautiful figure leaned slightly forward, looking down at the Nightshade Palace Master. A faint smile played on her lips, a smile powerful enough to eclipse the heavens and earth. Her tone carried a hint of caution: "You are very calm, which is excellent. I must remind you that in this operation, it would be best to capture Wu Qingfeng using the Soul Control Technique! Once his soul is controlled, humanity will have no chance to reverse time and resurrect him. If you successfully control his soul, the Alliance will reward you with a high-level domain treasure! Of course, if you cannot achieve soul control and kill him directly, the Alliance will reward you with an ordinary domain treasure."

"Wu Qingfeng must have had an extremely special experience. The more extraordinary the experience, the greater the price humanity would pay to resurrect him by reversing time and space." The voice of the beautiful being seemed to resound directly in the depths of the Night Shadow Palace Master's soul. "With his heaven-defying talent, the price of resurrecting him would probably far exceed that of an ordinary universe venerable, and might even be comparable to that of a top universe overlord."

"Soul control is the first choice, killing is the second. So bring your Soul Treasure with you this time. The Alliance will compensate you with a Soul Treasure. Go!"

"Yes!" The Night Shadow Palace Master frowned, bowed, and accepted the order. He then turned and slowly left the main hall.

On Purple Thorn Island, the Night Shadow Palace Master walked slowly forward. Upon seeing this, the inheritors of various races along the way all kept their distance, both out of respect for the top cosmic overlord and because they could vaguely sense the murderous aura emanating from him.

But when he caught sight of the elegant, garden-like mansion built along the river in the distance, his brows furrowed involuntarily. "I am a top-tier cosmic overlord, dominating the universe, yet in the eyes of my race, in the eyes of the Zerg Alliance, am I less threatening than a mere Realm Lord-level human? This assassination attempt, if not handled carefully, could result in my instant annihilation by the Five-Colored Aurora Lake. The most terrifying thing is that after it's done, I must either live in anonymity or be forever trapped within the Zerg territory. Otherwise, if the human race discovers me, those superhuman beings will surely avenge their unparalleled genius and reduce me to ashes."

"Ridiculous, truly laughable." The Nightshade Palace Master's lips curled into a self-deprecating bitter smile, his heart filled with sorrow and helplessness. Even his race was powerless to defy the orders of the Zerg Alliance, let alone a mere top-tier cosmic overlord like himself. Even if his individual strength was enough to dominate the universe, he was still as insignificant as dust before the most powerful beings in the universe, and could only obediently follow orders.

What frustrated him most was that he still had to bring his soul treasure, the Dark Soul Bead. Assassinating someone in the Ancestral Mystic Realm was certain death, and this soul treasure, capable of enhancing soul attacks, was a top-grade ordinary soul treasure, worth more than his signature treasure from the Shadow Palace—almost half his entire fortune. Even if the Zerg offered compensation, it might not be as suitable as the Dark Soul Bead.

Two days later, atop a mountain peak on the outskirts of Purple Thorn Island. "To kill him, must I be sacrificed? Though the Demon Ancestor of the Demon Clan promised to reverse time and resurrect me…" A two-headed, eight-legged beast stood proudly, gazing down at Purple Thorn Island, its eyes filled with struggle. The roar of the Lord of Heavenly Wolves seemed to still echo in its ears, "Kill Wu Qingfeng!"

On Purple Thorn Island, palaces of inheritors from various races are scattered like stars in the sky. Several thousand kilometers from Wu Qingfeng's residence stands a mansion with an ancient, withered tree-like appearance—the residence of a King-level inheritor from the Mechanical Race Alliance. At this moment, atop the mansion, a figure stands silently, radiating the cold, metallic aura unique to the Mechanical Race—it is Venerable Yao Guang of the Mechanical Race Alliance, a cosmic overlord.

"The Alliance has ordered that I temporarily reside in your residence, and this matter must not be revealed to anyone." Venerable Yaoguang looked at the King-Bearer standing bowing beside him and transmitted his thoughts.

"Yes, Your Excellency." The mechanical race inheritor replied respectfully, also responding with divine thought, "Your Excellency, I have prepared a quiet room. If you have any instructions, please summon me directly."

"Hmm, you may leave." Venerable Yaoguang nodded slightly. The inheritor bowed and withdrew, leaving only Venerable Yaoguang on the top floor. He sat cross-legged, his gaze passing over the railing, piercing through the void, and firmly locking onto the open space in front of Wu Qingfeng's residence in the distance. "The Mechanical Race Alliance has nearly ten thousand inheritors on Purple Thorn Island, but only these few residences offer a clear view of Wu Qingfeng's residence, the Lord of the Heart Illusion Realm." Venerable Yaoguang murmured silently, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "I can only monitor him secretly like this. As soon as Wu Qingfeng steps out of his residence, he will never escape my sight."

The Machine Race, the Demon Race, and the Zerg Race have all dispatched their strongest warriors, but they have all chosen to send the alien cosmic overlords instead of using the power of their own races. Among them, the Zerg Race has been the most dedicated, directly sending its top cosmic overlords—they also know that they must pay a price to the alien races, because if they were too domineering and oppressive towards the alien races, this fragile alliance would have already fallen apart.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and Wu Qingfeng maintained his remarkably disciplined rhythm, engaging in a thousand battles daily without a break. In the past six months, he had fought over 150,000 battles, each one fought with his utmost effort, each one a testament to his rapid growth. Meanwhile, the powerful figures of the demon race, insect race, and mechanical race remained lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to assassinate. They were not unaware that humanity had already guessed their schemes and taken all necessary precautions. But in their eyes, unless Wu Qingfeng, the Lord of the Heart Illusion Realm, remained hidden in his mansion forever, or was constantly protected by top-tier experts the moment he stepped outside, there would always be an opportunity to strike.

"Boom—" In the battle world, the once bustling steel and concrete city has long been reduced to ruins. The residual power of the gods still lingers among the broken walls and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder and the collision of energy.

Wu Qingfeng, clad in black armor and boots, stood tall and straight like a pine tree, surrounded by a faint golden light. With a slight raise of his left hand, countless golden swords, suspended in mid-air and covered in dust, flew back to his palm like birds returning to their nests, lining up neatly.

After nearly half a year and more than 150,000 battles, the war has finally come to an end. Wu Qingfeng looked at the devastated battlefield, a hint of relief flashing across his eyes before he regained his usual composure—he knew that this ending was not the end, but the beginning of another storm.