"Treasures belong to those with destiny. As long as the Human Race continues to grow stronger, that destined individual will naturally arise from within us."
Across endless layers of space-time, Bai Yue's thoughts drifted far away. In his mind, he saw Luo Feng preparing to step onto the Outside Territory Battlefield.
Because of Bai Yue's interference, Luo Feng's growth had accelerated noticeably compared to the original trajectory. His departure for the Outside Territory Battlefield had been advanced by more than a hundred years. Yet destiny, once set in motion, still followed its inevitable course.
Once Luo Feng entered the Outside Territory Battlefield, his strength would surge at an astonishing pace. After that, he would recognize the Star Tower as his master, completing a true qualitative transformation. From that moment on, he would no longer be a hidden flood dragon lurking beneath the waters, but a true dragon soaring into the heavens.
Before this, Luo Feng was merely a peerless genius of the Human Race.
After returning from the Outside Territory Battlefield, he would stand among the Universe's Strongest.
When Bai Yue returned to himself, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the earlier scene—Primordial Chaos City Lord standing before Zuo Shanke, the Thousand Treasure River unfurled across the void. A faint heaviness stirred in his heart.
The Human Race… was still too poor.
Peak treasures were indeed formidable, but that was only in battles between Universe Lords. Once the level rose to the Universe's Strongest, the role such treasures played diminished sharply.
For beings at that level, only supreme treasures truly mattered.
Because this dimension of the Universe Sea had no clear understanding of realms above the Universe's Strongest, all treasures beyond peak level were collectively referred to as "supreme treasures." Yet in truth, within the ancient civilization of the Origin Continent, above True Gods lay many higher realms—and correspondingly, far more refined tiers of treasures.
True Gods possessed True God–level treasures. Almost all so-called supreme treasures in the Universe Sea belonged to this category. Only a handful of exceptional existences—such as the Star Tower or the Chaos Wings—transcended even that standard.
A True God wielding a matching supreme treasure could see their combat strength rise dramatically.
Great Axe Founder was the clearest example. After receiving the bronze battle axe Bai Yue had given him, his attack power leapt an entire level, reaching the absolute peak of the ninth stage.
With a thought, Bai Yue searched through his collection and retrieved an ancient longsword.
The moment it appeared within the cabin, Primordial Chaos City Lord's expression changed. A profound, eternal aura radiated from the blade—sharp enough to rend space-time itself. His gaze locked onto the sword, unable to look away.
"A supreme treasure!" Primordial Chaos City Lord exclaimed.
"Teacher," Bai Yue said with a smile, "after you broke through to become a Universe's Strongest, I never had the chance to prepare a congratulatory gift. This time, let me make up for it."
The ancient longsword floated gently forward, coming to a halt before Primordial Chaos City Lord.
"I cannot accept this," the Primordial Chaos City Lord said firmly. "You've already done more than enough for the Human Race. The supreme treasure you gave Great Axe, the guidance you've provided me—none of that can be measured in value. I cannot take more from you."
"I gave Great Axe a supreme treasure," Bai Yue replied calmly. "Giving one to my own teacher is only right. Please don't refuse."
Seeing his teacher's unwavering expression, Bai Yue continued, "To be blunt, I am not lacking in treasures. If I wished, I could equip every Human Race Universe Lord with a supreme treasure. I simply see no need to do so. Teacher, please accept this."
Even so, the Primordial Chaos City Lord shook his head. Fairness was etched into his bones. He had never been one to accept personal gain lightly.
After a brief pause, Bai Yue offered a compromise.
"Then let us consider this a loan. When Teacher acquires a supreme treasure of your own in the future, you can return it to me. More importantly, possessing a supreme treasure will ensure your safety when venturing into the Universe Sea. That concerns not only you, but the entire Human Race."
This time, the Primordial Chaos City Lord fell silent.
At last, he nodded.
As his god power imprinted upon the longsword, the supreme treasure formally recognized him as its master.
The blade's name was Universe Sword.
Like the bronze battle axe given to Great Axe Founder, it was among the finest of True God–level weapons. Unlike the axe, however, the Universe Sword was a mental-force–type supreme treasure, perfectly suited to the Primordial Chaos City Lord, whose path lay in Time–Space fusion.
With a simple activation, the sword transformed, extending outward into a set of ancient armor that wrapped itself around his entire body.
Though derived from the blade, the armor itself barely reached the threshold of a supreme treasure.
Even so, its performance was terrifying.
Attacks below the sixth stage were entirely negated, incapable of harming the wearer's divine body. Attacks above the sixth stage were weakened to one-millionth of their original power. Only attacks at the tenth stage could force the armor beyond its endurance limit.
…
Not long after, explosive news spread throughout the Universe.
Beiqiu Prison Master—who had roamed the cosmos for endless ages—had been suppressed by the Human Race's newly promoted Universe Lord, Lord of Hunyuan!
Soon after, further revelations emerged: Beiqiu Prison Master had ties to Zuo Shanke, forcing Zuo Shanke to personally intervene and pay a heavy price to secure his release.
With countless Universe Exalts witnessing the scene, concealment was impossible. The nine superpowers—Monster Race Alliance, Insect Race Alliance, Automaton Race Alliance, Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance, Prison Race Alliance, Crystal Race Alliance, Northern Frontier Alliance, Ancestor God Religion, and others—were all shaken.
Even second-tier alliances such as the Thorn Ring Alliance and Nine Territories Alliance quickly learned of it.
Within the Ancestor God Religion, three towering figures sat upon their thrones.
"These youths truly fear nothing," the Double-Faced Ancestral God remarked. "Zuo Shanke is someone even the origin will cannot restrain, yet this Bai Yue dared to extort him."
"He rose too quickly," the ancient Ancestral God at the center said slowly. "So quickly that we had no time to react. With his talent, being bestowed a treasure should have been inevitable."
"Shall we contact him?" asked the youthful Ancestral God with the crimson-scaled tail.
The discussion ended with a decision.
The Double-Faced Ancestral God personally visited Bai Yue and extended an invitation: Law Protection Divine Lord, the highest rank among the Ancestor God Religion's peripheral members.
Bai Yue declined politely.
"I wish to focus solely on comprehending laws for now," he said. "But if the Ancestor God Religion ever requires my aid, I will not refuse."
The Double-Faced Ancestral God left without displeasure.
…
Elsewhere, the Strongest Ones of the three great hostile races gathered in silence.
"The attempt failed," said the Automaton Race First Ancestor. "Lord of Hunyuan's strength rivals Primordial Chaos City Lord before his breakthrough."
The Zerg Queen sighed softly. "The Human Race… truly fearsome."
Only the Dream Demon Ancestor remained grim. "He has offended Zuo Shanke. His end will come."
No conclusion was reached.
Within the Primordial Universe, none of them could act freely.
Back in Hun Yuan Palace, Bai Yue finally turned his attention to his greatest gain.
The black crystal.
Within the Primordial Universe, its true contents were suppressed by the origin will. But inside Bai Yue's Original Universe, there was no such restriction.
Once transferred, the information unfolded completely.
Its title was clear:
Chaos Laws: From Beginner to Oblivion.
Written not by Zuo Shanke, but by an ancient powerhouse known as the World Emperor, it detailed—step by step—the entire path of comprehending Chaos Laws from nothingness to completion.
Before this, Bai Yue's progress had been like assembling fragments of theory at random, attempting to deduce ultimate truth from scattered scraps.
Now, he had a complete textbook.
A clear path.
"This trade…" Bai Yue murmured, satisfied, "was worth it."