"Inheritor, the Five-Colored Aurora Lake lies just ahead." The guide's voice carried a respectful tone as she gestured forward. "Bauhinia Island, where you Beast God inheritors reside, is located at the center of this lake, the outermost edge of the Ancestral God Sect's territory."
Han Jue nodded slightly, following the guide into the Five-Colored Aurora Lake.
This treasure was legendary throughout the universe, a domain-type Xeon Arcana with a maximum diameter stretching ten light-years across. Each aurora ribbon, if unleashed at full power, could severely wound a Universe Venerable. The entire lake consisted of endless streams of colorful light, possessing virtually limitless destructive capability.
To reach Bauhinia Island, they had to pass through this very lake.
"Inheritor, could you perhaps shrink your divine body a bit more?" The guide's request was tactful, almost apologetic.
The Ancestral God Sect naturally housed many special life forms, but those with divine bodies as enormous as Han Jue's Star Stream Sea clone were exceptionally rare. Bauhinia Island spanned millions of kilometers in diameter, yet if Han Jue arrived in his current form, he would occupy a conspicuously large portion of it.
Han Jue nodded.
An Immortal's divine body could change size at will, though doing so significantly impacted combat effectiveness. Only through specialized secret techniques, like Luo Feng's Golden Horned Beast's unique world projection, or the Star Stream Sea's innate [Star Flow] talent, could one avoid being weakened by such transformations.
Rather than shrinking his massive clone, Han Jue simply created a ten-meter-tall water giant avatar, then returned the Star Stream Sea clone to his Divine Kingdom. Problem solved.
The guide visibly relaxed before leading Han Jue toward Bauhinia Island.
"Inheritor, the first task upon arriving is to construct your residence on Bauhinia Island," she explained.
Seeing Han Jue's acknowledgment, the guide led him to a suitable location for building a palace, a pristine lakeside area. She'd observed that Han Jue's water-based clone would naturally resonate with such an environment.
"Each palace may occupy a maximum area of one kilometer in length and width. Even those with enormous divine bodies, such as demons or star beasts, must compress themselves to reside within these limits. There are no exceptions."
"Understood," Han Jue replied.
Constructing a palace took mere moments. With a casual wave of his hand, a magnificent structure rose from the ground, its architecture reflecting both functionality and elegance.
Next, the guide led Han Jue on a comprehensive tour, showing him the Ancestral God Palace, the Eight Beast God Palaces, the Guardian Beast God Palace, and more. She imparted vast knowledge about the Ancestral God Sect's structure and customs, allowing Han Jue to gain a deeper understanding of this legendary organization.
Soon, once Han Jue had absorbed enough information, the guide's duties were complete.
"Inheritor, please proceed inside. I'll take my leave now." She gestured toward the Island Lord's palace entrance.
"Thank you," Han Jue said with a slight nod, watching her depart.
Entering the palace, Han Jue was immediately greeted by a soul servant at the Universe Venerable level who waited in the front hall.
"Inheritor, the Island Lord awaits you in the main hall," the servant announced, bowing respectfully.
Han Jue nodded and continued through the central courtyard toward the main hall.
Upon entering, he saw a figure reclining on the throne, a strange life form resembling a dragon but with wings spread wide. Its head was raised, gazing down imperiously. Strange, form-fitting armor covered its body, with flames flickering across the surface.
This was the Guardian Beast God of Bauhinia Island.
"An Immortal?" The Guardian Beast God's tone carried interest. "Are you the avatar of that human, Han Jue?" A low chuckle rumbled from its throat. "Don't worry. I hold no grudge against the human race and have no intention of revealing your identity. From this moment forward, you are officially an inheritor of Bauhinia Island."
The Guardian Beast God's massive eyes studied him with curiosity. "I'm intrigued, though. What brings you here? With your talent, you could become a Universe Master without the Path of the Beast God serving as your foundation, couldn't you?"
Han Jue smiled. "I've long heard that the Ancestral God Sect is the foremost power in the universe. Naturally, I had to come experience it myself. Besides, the Beast God inheritance can serve as valuable reference material for my own path."
The Guardian Beast God nodded slowly. "Very well. Next, I'll grant you access privileges to the World of Glory, as well as the Land of Inheritance, the Land of Treasures, and the Secret Realm."
An object resembling a sophisticated receiver materialized mid-air and flew directly toward Han Jue.
"This is your connection to the World of Glory, the virtual world of the Ancestral God Sect. It's similar to your human race's Virtual Universe, though considerably smaller in scope. Still, you'll find it serves much the same purpose. You'll understand once you log in."
The Guardian Beast God's expression shifted to something resembling amusement. "Go on, then. I'm quite looking forward to seeing what happens when those alien races discover your presence here."
"That depends on whether they're courting death," Han Jue replied, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
Though the Guardian Beast God had promised discretion regarding his identity, the Ten Directions Lotus Sea wasn't specifically designed to conceal one's aura. Any Universe Lord could easily discern his true power level. Furthermore, since the Star Stream Sea avatar had already appeared on the extraterritorial battlefield, deducing his identity wouldn't prove difficult. And within the Ancestral God Sect, there were undoubtedly Universe Lords hostile to the human race.
Han Jue's identity wouldn't remain secret for long.
Given his personality, he was bound to make waves.
"Quite confident," the Guardian Beast God said, shaking its head with what might have been approval. With a casual gesture, it sent Han Jue out of the Island Lord's Palace, clearly not intending for him to linger.
Han Jue soon arrived at the three fountains outside the Island Lord's Palace.
These three fountains served as portals, corresponding to the Land of Inheritance, the Land of Treasures, and the Secret Realm respectively.
Han Jue's primary objective was crystal clear: the Land of Treasures.
Inheritance? That held little appeal for someone of his capabilities.
The Land of Treasures
After the teleportation ended, Han Jue found himself standing atop a mountain peak.
Spreading before him was a breathtaking vista, countless mountains of every conceivable shape, some precipitous and sharp, others gracefully curved. Thousands upon thousands of peaks stretched toward the horizon, seemingly endless. Between the mountains lay lakes of various sizes, some exceeding a million kilometers across, their surfaces shimmering like scattered jewels.
The most valuable treasures of this realm were housed within the 108 highest peaks.
These top 108 treasures all possessed immense value, each reaching at least the threshold of Arcana-level equipment. Many were rare and precious items, especially useful for cultivating the Path of the Beast God. There was even a possibility of discovering High-tier or Pinnacle Arcana.
However, obtaining these supreme treasures proved extraordinarily difficult, with each requiring very specific and challenging conditions to be met.
Having come this far, Han Jue naturally wanted to test whether he could claim a top-tier treasure from this legendary vault of the Ancestral God Sect.
At the very least, obtaining a specialized High-tier Arcana would be worthwhile.
With a thought, Han Jue teleported directly to the highest mountain peak.
Nothing happened.
This wasn't surprising.
After all, those who had left these treasures were Beast Gods and Beast God inheritors of the Ancestral God Sect. They likely had specific requirements regarding comprehension of the Path of the Beast God, and Han Jue's understanding of that path was probably the weakest on all of Bauhinia Island, likely inferior even to those who had merely been granted the title of King.
Han Jue had only studied the Path of the Beast God when he was at the Universe and Domain Lord levels. Once he'd reached the World Master level, he'd shifted his focus to the two fundamental laws of time and space, as well as other fusion law paths.
It was only when he'd created the Five Evolutions Wild Sword that he'd simultaneously developed the Water-Space Sword Qi, which could barely be considered a branch of the Path of the Beast God.
The second peak. The third. The fourth.
Soon, when Han Jue arrived at the seventh mountain peak, something changed.
The mountain trembled beneath his feet.