Three Passages

"The Guardian Beast God Hall?" Luo Feng couldn't help but ask. "A Guardian Beast God refers to an existence who has received a complete Beast God inheritance and cultivated to the level of a Universe Master. Perhaps some of them couldn't inherit the esteemed position because the current Beast God was still alive, or they simply didn't wish to inherit it. After all, while inheriting the esteemed position can drastically increase one's strength, it also means they can never advance further," the Feicang Clan Venerable explained. "Universe Masters, no matter where they are, are among the most supreme and great existences in the cosmos. Even if they are unwilling to inherit the esteemed position, the Ancestral God Sect respects their wishes and allows them to become 'Guardian Beast Gods'," the Feicang Clan Venerable said. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King both nodded. They weren't surprised by this in the slightest. There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, nor pies falling from the sky. Perhaps once, but for the Ancestral God Sect to be so 'great' as to constantly shower the world with 'pies'? No one was that benevolent. While the Ancestral God Sect possessed vast resources, it might not demand much from those who received weaker inheritances. However, those who reached a certain level of power were expected to contribute something in return to the Ancestral God Sect. "Don't worry." The Feicang Clan Venerable smiled, "The Ancestral God Sect is arguably the most free-spirited power. It doesn't vie for cosmic dominance, nor does it contend for territories in the universe. Its core lies solely within this 'Ancestral God Secret Realm.' The myriad dangers within the Ancestral God Secret Realm are enough to deter all other factions." "Even if you become an peripheral member of the Ancestral God Sect, you won't feel constrained," the Feicang Clan Venerable said with a shake of his head and a smile. "Of course... you'd first need to qualify as a peripheral member. Becoming one is incredibly difficult! You'd need to receive a complete Divine Emissary inheritance, or a complete Divine General inheritance, or fully accept the fifth stage of a Beast God inheritance! Any one of these is extraordinarily challenging." Luo Feng nodded as he listened. Just looking at the Demonic Sound Divine General Inheritance Ground, where over a hundred thousand beings attempted but not a single one managed to receive a complete inheritance, one could imagine the difficulty. However, at the Demonic Sound Divine General Inheritance Ground, 32 beings could receive an inheritance every 10,081 epochs. Those hundred thousand-plus beings... actually only amounted to about 50 million epochs. Compared to the long history of the universe, 50 million epochs is actually quite brief. "The Island Lord of Purple Thorn Island is held by a Guardian Beast God," the Feicang Clan Venerable said, gazing towards the majestic palace ahead. "A Guardian Beast God?" Luo Feng and Zhenyan King both looked. The palace was adorned with numerous carvings: giant horned lizards, roaring gorillas, soaring winged beasts... Although there were thousands of carvings, they depicted only eight distinct types. Luo Feng now fully understood that these eight carvings likely represented the eight Beast Gods. ... In front of the Island Lord's palace was a massive platform plaza, formed by leveling the entire top of a mountain. On the perfectly carved, solid plaza stood three fountains. Water sprang forth from thin air, gushing endlessly, yet the plaza ground remained completely dry. The scene was truly magnificent. The Feicang Clan Venerable, Luo Feng, and Zhenyan King walked to the front of the fountains, looking at the palace gates. "You two may enter; my mission ends here," the Feicang Clan Venerable said. "I hope you can live a while longer on Purple Thorn Island. Don't perish too soon, for unless you obtain another inheritance token, you won't be able to return. I doubt many races would grant you an inheritance token twice." "Thank you, Venerable," Luo Feng and Zhenyan King both said, expressing gratitude for the Feicang Clan Venerable's guidance throughout their journey. The Feicang Clan Venerable smiled faintly, then shot through the air, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the depths of the multicolored aurora high above. "Disciple, let's go in," Zhenyan King said with a smile. "Mm." Luo Feng and his teacher walked side-by-side to the palace gates, then stepped inside. The palace was vast, and after walking for a long time, Luo Feng and Zhenyan King exited the main hall. This was the front hall; behind it lay a spacious courtyard, and beyond the courtyard was the most expansive and majestic main hall. "Two inheritors," a man sitting cross-legged in the courtyard spoke. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King looked over. "A human?" Luo Feng was startled. This human wore a simple black robe, had long blue hair, and blue mystic patterns on his face. His aura was subtle, yet the faint power it exuded secretly astonished Luo Feng. Judging solely by the intensity of this aura, he had to be at least a Universe Venerable-level expert. "Could he be the Guardian Beast God?" Luo Feng and Zhenyan King exchanged glances. A Guardian Beast God, a human? The human in the black robe, who had been sitting cross-legged, stood up and smiled at Luo Feng and Zhenyan King. "I didn't expect to see humans; it's truly delightful. You don't need to guess, I am not a Guardian Beast God. I am merely a servant under the Island Lord, responsible for guarding this palace and relaying messages to the Island Lord." "A servant?" Luo Feng and Zhenyan King were inwardly shaken. A soul slave? A Universe Venerable-level soul slave? And a human, no less! "Yes, if I can take other alien races as slaves, then those alien experts can naturally take humans as slaves. A Guardian Beast God is an existence at the Universe Master level, so what's so strange about them taking a human Universe Venerable as a slave?" Although Luo Feng felt a wave of sadness and indignation, he could only console himself with this thought. Zhenyan King glanced at the black-robed man, then bowed and said, "We are new inheritors, here to pay our respects to the Guardian Beast God." "Please wait. I have already relayed the message to the Guardian Beast God. The Guardian Beast God is currently occupied, so please wait for now," the black-robed man said with a faint smile. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King exchanged glances. Wait, then. Given the Guardian Beast God's status, if they were told to wait, they could only wait. ... After waiting for half a day, Luo Feng and Zhenyan King grew a little anxious. Luo Feng then asked, "When will the Guardian Beast God arrive?" "No need to rush," the black-robed man, still sitting cross-legged, said with a faint smile. "The Guardian Beast God's matters are of utmost importance, and your business isn't urgent. According to the Ancestral God Sect's rules, a Guardian Beast God will appear within a maximum of ten years. If a Guardian Beast God feels they cannot make it within ten years, they will arrange for another Guardian Beast God to take charge." Luo Feng and Zhenyan King exchanged glances. Ten years? "At the earliest, they appear immediately; at the latest, ten years. The unluckiest person I've hosted waited for over nine years, with only three days left until the deadline, before the Guardian Beast God finally appeared," the black-robed man said. "You two should calm down and sit." "Endure!" Luo Feng and Zhenyan King could only sit cross-legged, silently waiting. No one knew when the Guardian Beast God would actually arrive. ... Twelve days later. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King were in the palace courtyard, sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed in meditation, when suddenly an overwhelmingly domineering and heart-shaking aura instantly enveloped the entire palace. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King immediately opened their eyes. "The Guardian Beast God is here," Luo Feng and Zhenyan King immediately stood up. As for the black-robed human, he had already entered the main hall. "Enter," a slightly high-pitched voice, yet one that pierced directly into their souls, emanated from the main hall. Luo Feng and Zhenyan King obediently entered the main hall. Upon entering the main hall, Luo Feng and Zhenyan King saw a figure coiled on the high throne. It was a strange, dragon-like creature with wings, its draconic head held high as it looked down. Its body was covered in a form-fitting, peculiar armor, adorned with flickering flames. As it lay coiled on the throne... Luo Feng and Zhenyan King felt as if they had fallen into an endless world of fire. The entire space around them was filled with flames, and that strange creature was the controller of this space-time. If it wished, a single thought could cause both Luo Feng and Zhenyan King to perish. "A Guardian Beast God," Luo Feng mused. "It must be a Beast God who has cultivated 'Fire and Space' to grand completion and become a Universe Master." "From this moment forth, you two are the inheritors of Purple Thorn Island," a slightly sharp, high-pitched voice issued from the dragon's head. "First, I grant you permission to enter the 'Glory World'." As soon as the words fell, two objects resembling optical computers appeared out of thin air, flying directly towards Luo Feng and Zhenyan King. "These are receivers for the virtual world. The Glory World... is a crucial virtual world within my Ancestral God Sect. It's similar to your human Virtual Universe, though its scope is much smaller. However, its primary function for you is the same; you'll understand once you log in." Luo Feng and Zhenyan King both accepted the two receivers. "I also grant you permission to enter the 'Inheritance Ground,' the 'Treasure Ground,' and the 'Secret Realm Ground'," the Guardian Beast God said. "Did you see the three water curtains outside the palace?" Luo Feng and Zhenyan King both nodded. Water curtains? Weren't those just the fountains? "Those are teleportation passages. Of course, I must grant you permission, otherwise, you'll find it difficult to enter," the Guardian Beast God said. "The left water curtain leads to the Inheritance Ground. The middle water curtain leads to the Treasure Ground, and the right water curtain leads to the Secret Realm Ground." "Three water curtains, leading to three locations." "The Inheritance Ground is where you receive Beast God inheritances and test your comprehension of laws." "The Treasure Ground is where the treasures left behind by successive Beast Gods, Guardian Beast Gods, and super-experts who cultivated Beast God inheritances within my Ancestral God Sect are hidden. There are immense treasures there. Numerous experts have left behind various obstacles, restrictions, and requirements; only by meeting the demands of these predecessors can you retrieve the treasures within. Not long ago, a young human even obtained a treasure from the Treasure Ground." "The Secret Realm Ground: if you wish to explore the Ancestral God Secret Realm, you can follow that passage to enter its depths. The Ancestral God Secret Realm... is the most mysterious secret realm in the universe. It harbors the most special lifeforms and numerous mysterious treasures of all kinds, whether natural materials or precious and ultimate treasures nurtured by the cosmos, all hidden within. However—the Ancestral God Secret Realm is also the most dangerous secret realm. Although you will be directly teleported to its core, bypassing the outer dangers, the closer you get to ultimate treasures, the greater the peril. Even Universe Venerables can perish, and Universe Masters can be trapped. So, if you decide to venture into the Secret Realm Ground... be prepared for the possibility of death." "The Inheritance Ground, the Treasure Ground, the Secret Realm Ground, and the Glory World... these are the four places you need to familiarize yourselves with while receiving your inheritance on Purple Thorn Island." "First, go build your residences, then proceed to the Inheritance Ground." The Guardian Beast God, looking down from the throne, said, "Go." "Yes, Island Lord." Luo Feng and Zhenyan King bowed respectfully, then withdrew.