Secret Patterns and Secret Arts

The Abyssal Black Hole, its might boundless. The Azure Stone Peak circled, gradually moving outwards, somewhat akin to a sailboat using the current to advance upstream, yet infinitely more profound. After all, this devouring power was simply too immense even for a Universe Supreme Being; none dared to openly resist it. “Master is repairing the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor,” Luo Feng mused, standing atop the mountain peak, gazing down at the boundless land. “And simultaneously, a portion of his consciousness is controlling this mountain…” Solitude. Luo Feng sat there alone, numerous thoughts surfacing in his mind. During the battle with the Giant Axe Creator, watching it had filled him with surging excitement and hot-blooded fervor. But now, having calmed down, he keenly felt the immense gap between himself and a Universe Supreme Being. “Universe Supreme Beings are heavily suppressed in the Original Universe.” “Even in the Universe Ocean, they still experience some suppression.” “If not for this suppression, the gap between Universe Masters and them would likely be even greater.” Luo Feng understood just how significant this suppression was. In the Original Universe, if they weren't battling a Universe Master, a Universe Supreme Being could achieve 'words become law,' unleashing monstrous power, and the Original Universe's fundamental laws would even show them deference. But once they clashed with a Universe Master, everything changed! The Original Universe's fundamental laws would no longer retreat! Instead, they would exert extremely forceful suppression… rendering 'words become law' impossible. Conversely, Universe Masters could control space-time, giving Universe Supreme Beings no advantage in the domain aspect. Of course, when 'Yuan Ao Master' was killed, it was in accordance with the Original Universe's will, so no suppression was encountered then. The intensity of their divine power was equivalent to that of a 'Universe Master with Perfect Life Gene.' This was merely a small aspect, and there was also a maximum power limit—an upper bound! It was a threshold set by the Original Universe's fundamental laws, and the power unleashed by a Universe Supreme Being could not exceed this limit. Once they attempted to, they would be 'suppressed,' just as Xuzhen Demon God was once bound by chains of law. 'Words become law' vanished! Divine power output was restricted! Even the strength of their strongest burst had an upper limit! Furthermore! After killing a Universe Master, they would face severe punishment, their divine body suffering heavy damage! Under these numerous suppressions, Universe Masters in the Original Universe were hardly afraid of Universe Supreme Beings! A slightly more powerful Universe Master would have no reason to fear them. …However, in the Universe Ocean, it was different. The Universe Ocean contained numerous scattered mini-universes and the 'Original Universe.' The Original Universe was simply too vast, so its fundamental will remained the strongest! Even the operation of laws throughout the boundless Universe Ocean was influenced by it. However, other regions of the Universe Ocean were external to it, so the power exerted by the Original Universe's fundamental will was much weaker, and its restrictions were also much lighter. There were only two layers of restriction. First, when a Universe Supreme Being clashed with a Universe Master, the operating laws would no longer retreat! This prevented Universe Supreme Beings from achieving 'words become law'! Second, the intensity of their divine power was also suppressed to the level of a 'Universe Master with Perfect Life Gene.' Only these two. As for how much power they could exert relying on supreme treasures and secret arts, that was entirely up to the Universe Supreme Being, with no upper limit! Furthermore, there was no punishment after killing a Universe Master. Relatively speaking, the Universe Ocean had far fewer restrictions than the 'Original Universe.' Therefore, overall… Universe Supreme Beings greatly feared the 'Original Universe's fundamental will.' …Luo Feng sat atop the mountain peak, pondering the intricate relationships between Universe Supreme Beings, the Original Universe's will, and himself. “Luo Feng,” a voice called out. “Master,” Luo Feng turned his head, surprised to see Zuoshan Ke. He immediately stood up. “Master, weren’t you repairing the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor?” “It’s repaired,” Zuoshan Ke said, waving a hand. A black armor flew directly towards Luo Feng. Luo Feng looked at Zuoshan Ke in astonishment. “This… it hasn’t even been two days.” “Just a repair, how much effort do you think that takes me?” Zuoshan Ke scrutinized Luo Feng. “I saw you sitting there just now, what were you thinking about?” “I was thinking about the Original Universe’s fundamental will! Universe Supreme Beings! Universe Masters, and… myself,” Luo Feng replied. Zuoshan Ke paused, then fell silent. A long silence. “The Original Universe’s fundamental will,” Zuoshan Ke sighed, his voice imbued with extremely complex emotions. “When one hasn’t become a Universe Supreme Being, they are merely children of the Original Universe. It will protect you. But once you become a Universe Supreme Being… your mini-universe detaches from the Original Universe to survive in the Universe Ocean. At that point, a Universe Supreme Being becomes a target of hostility for the Original Universe’s fundamental will.” “Suppression, suppression, always suppression.” “Cycles upon cycles… every cycle era is a process where the Original Universe’s fundamental will nurtures, births, and destroys all things,” Zuoshan Ke mused. “Your human Original Ancestor is truly formidable, to actually…” “Actually what?” Luo Feng couldn’t help but press. Zuoshan Ke shook his head. “Don’t ask. Can’t you enter the Virtual Universe anytime? If you become strong enough to catch the Original Ancestor’s attention, you’ll be able to speak with him formally. Perhaps then, he’ll tell you why he did what he did back then. I only have some conjectures, which aren’t necessarily accurate.” Luo Feng’s heart itched with curiosity. The Original Ancestor dared to challenge the Original Universe’s fundamental will back then, dared to do what he did; he must have had a purpose. A truly heaven-defying purpose. Yet, even his teacher, Chaos City Lord, had never told him why the Original Ancestor went against the Original Universe’s fundamental will. “Don’t think so much; it’s too far off for you,” Zuoshan Ke said, smiling at Luo Feng. “Just focus on yourself! Once you become a Universe Master… and with the Star Tower in hand, the gap between you and a Universe Supreme Being can be completely ignored.” Luo Feng shook his head. “Even if I become a Universe Master, there’s still a huge gap in secret arts compared to a Universe Supreme Being.” Although he had witnessed Xuzhen Demon God and the Ancestral God clash, that was in the Original Universe, where their power wasn’t fully unleashed. But this time, the battle between the Third True Master, Sixth True Master, and the Giant Axe Creator truly made him feel the immense disparity. “You’re mistaken,” Zuoshan Ke shook his head. “Hm?” Luo Feng looked at his Master. “Universe Masters cannot create secret arts of such immense power. However, the secret patterns on the Star Tower represent an extremely high level of secret art,” Zuoshan Ke chuckled. “This is the preciousness of an ultimate supreme treasure. For instance, the first layer of the Star Tower; when you merely activated its first layer back then, the power it unleashed was minimal. But when you activated the second layer… the mystic patterns of that second layer were already comparable in profundity to a Universe Master’s strongest secret art. You might not be able to create it, but merely driving it reduces the difficulty significantly.” “The third layer of secret patterns is comparable to the methods of a Universe Supreme Being.” “As for the fourth layer of secret patterns, only top-tier existences among Universe Supreme Beings can create such secret arts. Like the Giant Axe Creator, the Original Ancestor, the First True Master, and so on.” Luo Feng nodded repeatedly as he listened. Indeed. Merely activating secret patterns required far less than creating a secret art of equivalent power… yet the power unleashed was just as formidable, or even stronger, due to the ultimate supreme treasure acting as a medium. “In the Universe Ocean, there’s a method for judging strength,” Zuoshan Ke said. “A newly ascended Universe Master, with a hundredfold life gene and no created secret art, is considered 'First-tier' among Universe Masters.” “An ordinary Universe Master, with a thousandfold life gene and having created an ultimate secret art, is 'Second-tier.'” “Above that are Third-tier and Fourth-tier. For example, the Star River Master of our Original Universe, your teacher Chaos City Lord, and Wuhun Master, whom you dragged to his death, are all Fifth-tier.” “A Universe Master possessing an ultimate supreme treasure is Sixth-tier! This is also the highest tier for a Universe Master,” Zuoshan Ke chuckled. “Why can possessing an ultimate supreme treasure make one superior to Chaos City Lord, Wuhun Master, and others? It’s precisely because the secret patterns of an ultimate supreme treasure can represent a higher level.” Luo Feng listened intently. This Sixth-tier judgment method was new to him. “A Sixth-tier Universe Master can rival a Universe Supreme Being who doesn’t possess an ultimate supreme treasure,” Zuoshan Ke laughed. “Of course, someone like the Giant Axe Creator, even without an ultimate supreme treasure, can still be a cut above a Sixth-tier Universe Master.” “However, I suspect that when the Giant Axe Creator unleashed his ‘Fifteenth’ axe technique, which he claimed to have just created, it was likely after he obtained that divine axe, observed its secret patterns, and then comprehended them. He probably activated the divine axe’s secret patterns to unleash that heaven-defying strike,” Zuoshan Ke mused. “That’s why it could display such power.” …It took nearly three months to emerge from the abyss. Zuoshan Ke also guided Luo Feng. Especially as he meticulously studied the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor, Luo Feng realized that Wuhun Master’s ‘Five Beasts Grand Annihilation’ was actually a modified technique derived from the third layer of secret patterns on the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor. “Even some primitive natives with rudimentary intelligence learn to use stones and sticks as weapons.” “The difference in intelligence lies in whether one knows how to use weapons.” “Universe Masters, Universe Supreme Beings… their weapons are supreme treasures! Learning to utilize supreme treasures, and even creating secret arts based on the secret patterns on these treasures, is why those who make a name for themselves across the cosmos often have their own renowned treasures. For instance, you call yourself the Galaxy Lord, yet the outside world refers to you as the Silverwing Lord.” Luo Feng understood. He began to study the secret patterns on the Star Tower, the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor, and the Shi Wu Wings, and then proceeded to create suitable secret arts. Meanwhile, his divine power avatar was in that hidden space, studying the ultimate secret art pattern diagrams left by an ancient existence even more heaven-defying than the Original Ancestor and the Giant Axe Creator, as well as the six great secret pattern diagrams left by Zuoshan Ke. By cross-referencing them, Luo Feng’s progress entered a high-speed phase. All other defensive secret patterns on the Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor were quickly comprehended. Of the three layers of offensive secret patterns on its golden right hand, two were swiftly understood. The third layer was also largely grasped, and he estimated he would fully comprehend it with a few more months of effort. “The third layer of secret patterns on the golden right hand of this Mad Demon God-Slaying Armor isn’t as powerful as the Star Tower’s third layer. However, it still achieves the might of a Universe Master’s strongest integrated secret art. Once you can wield it, your mastery of secret pattern flow will likely be close to the Universe Master level. Alright, we’ve now exited the abyss. I’m leaving now; don’t let such incidents happen again.” “Yes, Master,” Luo Feng bowed in gratitude. Immediately after—an Azure Stone Peak and a crimson palace (the Star Tower, transformed via the Blood Cloud Pearl) flew off in two different directions amidst the boundless frozen lake and thunderous flames.