Chapter 191: Martial Immortal Spirit Orbs!
Thunder Island, Chaos Hall.
Inside the vast hall, the towering figures of the Axe, Chaos, and Darkness gathered once more.
Moments ago, the ruler of Youmeng Kingdom had completed her report and quietly left. The hall fell into a heavy silence.
Matters concerning his young disciple made the Lord of Darkness restless. Unable to hold back, he spoke first.
"These are the basic details of the 'Thunder Emperor lineage.' It's far beyond what we anticipated. For now, Earth's secrets haven't been exposed to the public. So, how should we proceed?"
Though phrased as a question, his meaning was clear:
Since Earth's secrets weren't revealed, why not simply keep it that way?
He wanted Earth left solely for Jiang Zhe, without interference from the human race's broader interests.
Unlike Chaos City Lord, who had to act as the impartial steward of their race, the Lord of Darkness had spent countless years working anonymously in the cosmic sea for the benefit of their species. Thus, he had more leverage to secure privileges for his own direct lineage.
Chaos City Lord shook his head, firmly rejecting it.
"Junior Brother, Earth's existence must be reported to the other Universe Masters. Neither you, I, nor even Axe has the authority to conceal such a matter."
The Lord of Darkness challenged him bluntly, "So what, should we just let the Thunder Emperor lineage mix freely with all other races—so spies can waltz right onto Earth?"
Chaos City Lord fell silent.
In truth, he leaned toward allowing Earth to belong solely to the Thunder Emperor's line—this would maximize humanity's overall benefit.
But his position did not allow him to make such a selfish decision.
"Enough arguing. I'll decide," said Axe, the giant wild man, scratching at his straw-like hair.
"This is how it will be: Earth's existence must be reported to all other lineages. We cannot keep it hidden."
He looked at Darkness.
"As for how to handle Earth... You'll give a peak supreme treasure to Virtual Universe Corporation in exchange for exclusive usage rights. Earth's ownership will temporarily transfer from Jiang Zhe to you."
"The Floating Cities will still be built. As for when and how to distribute temporary residence permits—those small details will all be yours to handle."
He added, "We'll also set a condition: if Jiang Zhe manages to kill a Universe Master of the Insect, Machine, or Demon races, or if he contributes a supreme treasure to our race, then he'll fully own Earth outright."
"From then on, no one in our race may interfere with Earth's affairs."
With a wave of his hand, the contents he'd just spoken were compiled by the virtual universe into a formal contract.
"Chaos, Darkness—sign it. Then have that boy sign it too. This matter will be settled."
"Afterward, I'll personally forward this contract to the core leadership of the Five Great Forces, notifying every Universe Master."
Chaos City Lord and the Lord of Darkness exchanged glances and nodded. They signed their names.
Shortly after, the contract was sent to Jiang Zhe. It soon returned, signed by him as well.
But it wasn't truly over yet.
Chaos City Lord let out a sigh.
"A long-standing mystery that has plagued us was finally answered by Jiang Zhe."
"I'll tell Longxing later that there's no need to keep trying to crack those Flame God Clan golden armors. It seems to use them requires either a Flame God avatar or consuming a bloodline potion."
To give up a precious avatar slot to cultivate a Flame God avatar?
What a waste!
And slaughtering Flame God descendants to make bloodline potions would only spark racial wars—not worth it.
The Lord of Darkness frowned.
"Could it be... since these are all the handiwork of Sitting Mountain Guest, maybe Earthlings can adapt to Flame God equipment?"
Chaos City Lord's eyes narrowed.
"I'll have Longxing gather a complete set of black, silver, and golden armors and list them in Hong Alliance's Treasure Hall. When Jiang Zhe and Luo Feng join, they can explore it themselves."
Axe, however, paid no attention to these minor matters. His mind was still on Sitting Mountain Guest.
"That Sitting Mountain Guest—what a remarkable being!"
"It seems he isn't just an expert at guiding racial evolution, he's also a top-tier forging grandmaster. Even peak supreme treasures are nothing to him."
"His abilities surpass countless True Gods of the cosmic sea—perhaps even the leaders of the two Holy Lands can't match him."
"He's far too mysterious."
"What exactly is he after? The Flame God Clan, the Earthling race, the Thunder Emperor lineage... it can't just be about taking disciples."
His string of sighs left the Lord of Darkness stunned.
"Wait—Thunder Emperor lineage?"
"Didn't we previously conclude, based on the 'Conqueror' and 'Apocalypse' innate secret techniques, that the Thunder Emperor line was orchestrated by the Original Universe itself, since it paid close attention to Jiang Zhe?"
Axe shook his head.
"That was only speculation. We never had direct proof."
"But given what Jiang Zhe just said, this pattern of preparing treasures for an entire race—it's clearly Sitting Mountain Guest's style."
"Flame Emperor became a fourth-stage Universe Master not through brilliant techniques, but purely because of his unmatched supreme treasures. We can confirm at least three: armor, soul treasure, and weapon. Now it's clear—these must have origins similar to Jiang Zhe's."
The Lord of Darkness frowned in thought, unable to refute it.
Chaos City Lord agreed.
"Junior Brother, even your disciple has a mountain of treasures. Heavy treasures mean little to him—he sells them off or gifts them away. Such extravagance."
The Lord of Darkness' brow furrowed deeper.
"You suspect he's already connected with Sitting Mountain Guest?"
Chaos City Lord gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not."
"But one thing is certain: he is now the leader of Earth's branch. One day, like the two Earth civilizations before, Sitting Mountain Guest will come knocking to give him some near-suicidal mission."
The Lord of Darkness' brow knotted even tighter.
Once again, silence blanketed the Chaos Hall.
Time passed.
At last, Axe declared, "Whatever the future holds, right now we humans are the ones benefiting. We must not repeat the Flame God Clan's fate."
"In the future, we'll integrate the Thunder Emperor line into the Five Great Forces' core, foster stable master-disciple relationships, and since their temperament is excellent, such humiliations shouldn't repeat."
"As for Jiang Zhe... it's both peril and opportunity. Let him decide his own fate."
"Our only responsibility is to protect Earth and his descendants."
"I agree," said Chaos City Lord, nodding.
Both turned to look at the Lord of Darkness.
He sighed, then nodded too.
Chaos City Lord smiled.
"For the new generation—those four little ones—once they reach the peak Star level, we'll hold a two-way selection. Axe's Dojo will pick two, our Virtual Universe will take the other two, to be disciples of the core Respected tier and above."
"The two banks and Mercenary Alliance can wait for the next generation."
"This way, unless something goes wrong with Jiang Zhe, the Thunder Emperor lineage will be fully woven into the fabric of humanity."
****
After signing the new contract, Jiang Zhe remained in the virtual universe, waiting.
Sure enough, soon his teacher, the Lord of Darkness, initiated a video call.
"Teacher." Jiang Zhe rose and bowed respectfully.
"Sit. Let's talk," said the Lord of Darkness with a smile.
"First, congratulations. All four of your children perfectly inherited your talent. They'll surely become pillars of humanity."
Jiang Zhe shook his head, laughing softly.
"That's all thanks to the Original Universe, graciously letting the 'Conqueror' secret technique fully pass down. Otherwise, our lineage wouldn't even compare to the Demon Wolf Clan."
The Lord of Darkness then explained the clan's arrangement for the four youngsters.
"Whether they wish to cultivate or not, I still don't know. I only hope the company will respect their choices."
"We will," the Lord of Darkness assured.
(Though, honestly, if any turned out to be decadent playboys, the Virtual Universe would be only too happy to arrange everything just so.)
"Now to the main topic—Earth."
"I've bought Earth's usage rights. How do you plan to handle it?"
Jiang Zhe thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I'd rather Earth remain as it always has. I don't want my homeland to undergo drastic changes. I never saw Earth as my private property. She is the mother of all Earthlings."
His calm, transparent gaze spoke volumes. The Lord of Darkness grew more satisfied the longer he looked.
"Very well. As you wish." Then his expression shifted.
"I hear from Ziyan (the ruler of Youmeng Kingdom) that you intend to submit a top-level points mission?"
"Yes, teacher. I want to break through to the World Lord level, return to Chaos City for focused cultivation, master my secret techniques—then undertake life-and-death missions. Would that be acceptable?"
"Approved," said the Lord of Darkness.
"But hold on. According to intelligence, lately the alien spy networks of the Qianwu Universe Nation have been unusually active. As a Military Commander, you'll lead a major purge first, then come back."
"I'll obey your arrangements, teacher."
"Watch out for assassinations!"
With that final warning, the Lord of Darkness ended the call.
Jiang Zhe sat quietly for a while before logging out of the virtual universe.
Earth, Jiang Family Estate, study room.
Sitting cross-legged on a mat, Jiang Zhe opened his eyes and continued studying the peak supreme treasure set he'd just obtained.
"They already have a name—Martial Immortal Spirit Orbs. A rare, precious soul-type supreme treasure."
Unlike Youmeng Kingdom's ruler had guessed, they weren't mental force weapons.
After experimenting, Jiang Zhe found that while they could be used as mental weapons, their true purpose was to bolster and protect the soul.
He speculated,
"Because the Thunder Emperor line leans more toward martial fighters, their accompanying treasures shore up their only weak spot—guarding the soul, ensuring its safety outside the Ascension State."
"On Earth, Thunder Emperor descendants don't even have a soul weakness."
Orianna, also examining the treasures, spoke up.
"Master, I've basically figured out the conditions for recognizing you."
"Mm, tell me."
Orianna explained,
"There are two stages: 'shallow recognition' and 'deep recognition.'"
"Shallow recognition doesn't have rigid requirements for soul power or law comprehension—only that you cultivate the 'Life Blueprint.' During the process, there will be a test of your soul, consciousness, and will. I don't know the details."
"Once done, they'll reside in your sea of consciousness, defending your soul core—blocking incoming soul attacks, while empowering your own outward soul strikes."
"Good. And deep recognition?"
Orianna continued,
"Deep recognition only happens after shallow. Its requirements are harsh: you must be a perfect genetic lifeform; have a maximum hundredfold soul amplitude; and possess an immortal god body with your soul spread throughout."
"Once completed, the 181 Spirit Orbs will likely merge into the 181 'miniature stars' inside you. But I can't say what other changes it'll cause."
Jiang Zhe nodded.
"That matches what I discovered."
"Let's start the shallow recognition."
He poured his mental energy into the 181 orbs.
Instantly, countless profound, intricate law runes bloomed in his mind.
Drowsiness overtook his awareness. Even his universe-overlord level willpower couldn't stop it—he fell into one illusion after another.
Jiang Zhe found himself back before his transmigration—
Getting off work, soaking his feet, playing games, going to bed.
Morning came, and it all repeated.
Living, aging, falling ill, dying.
Reincarnation.
A second life.
A third.
A fourth...
A fifth...
A sixth...
He was fully aware he was trapped in illusions, but no matter how he exploded his will, he couldn't shatter them.
So he simply stopped resisting, letting his self-awareness blur, living inside these constructed lifetimes.
Lives flashed by—some short, under a year; some long, over a hundred years. Some old, some young, men and women, nobles, commoners, beggars...
It seemed Jiang Zhe was truly lost, living countless cycles of rebirth.
Normally, at this point, his soul would be crushed or enslaved, ending in death—like when recognizing the Star Tower. If his will hadn't evolved under pressure, it would have collapsed.
But strangely, even after endless immersion, Jiang Zhe's will did not weaken.
Instead, it unconsciously propelled the illusions forward, rolling through more and more cycles.
Until one particular life—
On a bustling street, a scruffy beggar suddenly stopped, straightened his back, and looked skyward.
A silent shockwave burst out from him, freezing everything.
People, cars, animals, even the drifting wind—all were frozen in that instant.
Then, every being in that world—human, beast, even drifting clouds—smiled, raised their heads, and softly murmured:
"Heaven and earth were born with me; all things and I are one!"
Jiang Zhe's awareness snapped awake.
The beggar, the pedestrians, the cars, the animals, the wind, the clouds—
Every part of this illusion was him!
This was his unique path of mind.
If unbreakable by sheer will?
No matter—he became part of the illusion, seized it completely, and took control.
"A beast trapped in a cage?"
"I am the cage itself—how can it trap me?"
Thus, he governed this entire illusion.
Through its veil, he found the next illusion layered beyond.
No matter.
He would seize that too.
"Heaven and earth were born with me; all things and I are one!"
Jiang Zhe's awareness conquered 181 layers of illusions, finally returning to his body and completing the Martial Immortal Spirit Orbs' recognition.
His eyes fell on the 181 floating "glass beads."
They radiated a warm, familiar aura, like parts of his own body.
With a thought, the orbs shot into him, merging into his primal core and entering a unique space, orbiting around his soul crystal like a miniature solar system.
At the same time, a crimson bead was expelled from his soul.
—The Ancient God Blood Crystal!
It had provided him with tenfold soul amplification, but under the Original Universe's laws, two soul-type treasures couldn't coexist.
He would have to give one up.