Before the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar

Hengxing Demon God, a Universe Overlord from the Second Reincarnation Era.

Luo Feng's mind held a wealth of information about the 'Universe Overlords' from the Three Reincarnation Eras and Two Sacred Land Universes. Universe Overlords varied; some excelled in soul attacks, others in material annihilation, and the presence of a Supreme True Treasure made a significant difference. Among the Cosmic Sea's Overlords, Hengxing Demon God was exceptionally terrifying.

The very name 'Hengxing' (meaning 'to run rampant' or 'domineering') offered a glimpse into his nature.

In terms of personal strength, he was considered average among Universe Overlords.

Yet, he was deemed terrifying because of his Supreme True Treasure!

He was a special lifeform, naturally inclined to devour rocks and metals, and born with an incredibly tough outer shell! It was rumored that his divine body's 'shell,' having absorbed the essence of countless rocks and metals, had reached an unbelievable level of hardness. Coupled with his Supreme True Treasure armor, he could indeed run rampant across the Cosmic Sea. That armor, a highly unique piece known as the 'Blood Sea Demon Armor,' not only provided standard defensive capabilities but also enveloped its surroundings in a 'Blood Sea Hell,' emanating an endless torrent of maddening will impact.

"Hengxing Demon God's battles against other Universe Overlords are usually ordinary. But against us Universe Masters, he holds an absolute advantage," Yan Ying Master said continuously. "Once he goes berserk, the will impact unleashed by his Supreme True Treasure would likely affect even Universe Overlords slightly. As for us Universe Masters, we would probably fall into a dazed state instantly... utterly defenseless!"

Luo Feng nodded gravely.

"Moreover, he's temperamental and unpredictable," Yan Ying Master remarked, flying alongside Luo Feng, sighing. "He's also a lone wolf, completely unafraid of causing trouble, so everyone avoids Hengxing Demon God!"

"If not for Bei Chi Star Master, many other Universe Masters and I would have left this place long ago," Yan Ying Master continued. "Bei Chi Star Master has an excellent temperament, and he has been studying the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar for a long time. Whenever he gains even a slight insight, he openly shares it, allowing us to benefit greatly. Such Universe Overlords, willing to teach us, are incredibly rare, which is why none of us wish to leave. Furthermore, Hengxing Demon God shows respect to Bei Chi Star Master's presence. The most infuriating thing is... Hengxing Demon God loves to change his appearance, especially to newcomers who have never seen him before and don't recognize his life aura. Seeing Hengxing Demon God in disguise, they wouldn't recognize him and would have no guard up... if they were to slightly offend him, they would likely perish."

...

Two streaks of rainbow light streaked across the void.

As they flew, Luo Feng gradually understood the situation.

The Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space contained 16 Black-Patterned Stone Pillars. Blood Orchid Ancestor resided long-term at Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 9, while Bei Chi Star Master was consistently at Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 2. Hengxing Demon God, however, had no fixed abode, preferring to roam freely and disguise his identity. If one recognized his aura, it was fine, but if not, danger loomed.

"Ahead is Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 2, the place in the entire Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space where the most powerful beings gather," Yan Ying Master said, flapping his wings, speeding through the air towards the towering Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 2.

Luo Feng, flying alongside, gazed ahead.

The pillar was immensely tall, extending directly to the limits of his vision, piercing into the mist. The base of the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar also penetrated deep into the boundless mist below.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Massive rocks, in countless numbers, rotated and flew around the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar, much like Earth orbits the Sun, tirelessly circling the pillar. Amidst the dense, endless array of giant rocks, there were also some exquisitely carved black-spired buildings that stood out.

Those were the space chambers!

"I received a black token from Wu Hun Master, but I don't know which space chamber it corresponds to," Luo Feng mused. "There are 16 Black-Patterned Stone Pillars here, and each one has space chambers around it. I'll only feel a slight resonance when I'm near my own space chamber."

"It seems I'll have to try each of the 16 Black-Patterned Stone Pillars one by one."

As they flew.

Yan Ying Master observed Luo Feng. As they drew closer to Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 2, the powerful will impact grew stronger. "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" It was like the enraged roar of billions of clashing armies. At this point, most newly ascended Universe Masters would need to exert their full strength to resist the will impact.

But Yan Ying Master noticed that Luo Feng appeared remarkably calm, showing no signs of strain.

"This Luo Feng, having cultivated for such a short time, can his will truly be this strong?" Yan Ying Master was astonished. "I have cultivated for an extremely long time and honed my will here for countless years to reach such a peak, allowing me to resist easily. How can he resist so effortlessly?"

"Yan Ying Master."

Luo Feng pointed into the distance, where some powerful beings were perched on rocks orbiting the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar. "I can already see several powerful beings at a glance. How many powerful beings are there in total at Black-Patterned Stone Pillar No. 2?"

"Nearly a hundred," Yan Ying Master replied directly. "Look, their distances from the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar vary; some are far, some are close. This depends on each powerful being's will... the stronger the will, the closer they can choose to temporarily rest on a giant rock near the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar. The deepest one is Bei Chi Star Master."

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two streams of light rapidly flew towards the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar. What did a height of thousands of light-years mean? The entire Solar System was tiny in comparison. The closer they got, the more Luo Feng felt the pillar's majesty, and the overwhelming power of its aura... it made his heart tremble. It truly deserved its reputation as a treasure even more special than a Supreme True Treasure; no Universe Overlord had ever been able to approach or touch it.

"Galaxy Lord," Yan Ying Master couldn't help but say, "The closer we get, the stronger the will impact. My usual meditation spot is deeper in, near my limit, which allows me to hone my will even more. If you can't bear it, please tell me in advance."

"Alright, I also want to test myself," Luo Feng replied with a smile.

They continued to fly deeper.

Yan Ying Master constantly observed Luo Feng. He thought that Luo Feng, who had only cultivated for a dozen or so eras, couldn't possibly have a will that strong, even if he had been honing it since birth. Yet, Luo Feng's expression remained natural and casual, clearly not even reaching a strained state, let alone his limit.

"Yan Ying Master, as we get closer, the flow of time is constantly changing," Luo Feng said. "The time flow here is already over 200 times faster. How much faster is the time flow in your usual will-honing spot?"

"The closer you get, the faster the time flow accelerates," Yan Ying Master explained. "My spot has a time flow of about 1100 times. As for Bei Chi Star Master, whose will is terrifying even among Universe Overlords, he has been cultivating here for over a Reincarnation Era. According to him, the time flow where he is is over 130,000 times faster."

Luo Feng was speechless.

No wonder Hengxing Demon God showed respect to Bei Chi Star Master. This good-tempered, eager-to-teach existence from the First Reincarnation Era was simply too powerful. With such a terrifying will, he would be formidable even if he specialized in 'illusionary arts.' Even simple soul attacks, empowered by his will, would become incredibly potent.

And such an existence possessed extraordinary bearing. Even facing his impending demise, he could still cultivate silently here, often openly sharing his insights, remaining remarkably serene.

...

"Yan Ying Master?"

"And next to him... the silver-armored, black-haired human? Isn't that Galaxy Lord Luo Feng?"

Around the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar, some Universe Masters noticed Yan Ying Master and Luo Feng flying deeper. This secretly shocked some of them... to be able to penetrate further than them clearly indicated a stronger will. They couldn't believe that Luo Feng, who had cultivated for such a short time, would possess such a powerful will.

Some of them were very strong in terms of combat power, but that didn't necessarily mean their will was terrifying.

After all, among the nearly hundred Universe Masters here, only a portion were actively honing their will; most were just temporarily resting, as this was merely a safe transit point.

...

"That's where I cultivate," Yan Ying Master said, flying at high speed, quickly landing on a rapidly moving giant rock. Luo Feng also landed on it.

"Galaxy Lord, I'm impressed that you can withstand the will impact even here," Yan Ying Master exclaimed.

Luo Feng smiled.

It was a good thing he had undergone the tempering in Wing Space.

If he had been in this position before going to Wing Space, he would probably have been kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, gritting his teeth, and sweating profusely. Now, he only felt strained!

"Oh, there are still many Universe Masters ahead," Luo Feng said, surprised as he looked into the distance. Indeed, some powerful beings were on giant rocks closer to the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar.

"Yes, although nearly a hundred Universe Masters gather here, more than half are just temporarily resting, not deliberately cultivating their will. Those who are truly here to deliberately hone their will generally have reached a high level among Universe Masters in terms of will, some even reaching the peak of a Universe Master's will. Some have even broken through the bottleneck... and their will can rival that of a Universe Overlord!"

"Look! There, there, there... those nineteen! They are roughly the same distance from the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar. These 19 have all reached the limit of a Universe Master's will. To advance further, they must break through the bottleneck, undergo a qualitative change, and reach a level where their will rivals a Universe Overlord."

"Look, deeper in... closer to the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar than those 19, besides Bei Chi Star Master, I can see two powerful beings from here. In fact, there are three in total! These three Universe Masters... their wills all rival Universe Overlords. These three belong to Sacred Land Universes and the First Reincarnation Era, respectively," Yan Ying Master explained.

Luo Feng sighed.

He probably ranked among those 19!

He hadn't expected to encounter three Universe Masters whose wills rivaled Universe Overlords here in the 'Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space.' If he looked across the entire Cosmic Sea, how many would there be?

"By the way, one of those three is from the God-Eye Clan. You caused the demise of Jiong Jian Master and the true body of Wu Hun Master from the God-Eye Clan, so there's no small enmity. You must be careful," Yan Ying Master warned.

"Oh, what's his name?" Luo Feng asked.

"The God-Eye Clan's... Jing Yan Master!" Yan Ying Master said solemnly.

"It's him!" Luo Feng's expression changed slightly.