Chapter 253: Universal Currency
“Even a treasure worth tens of thousands of reward points is already quite good.” Emperor Qing smiled. “By the way, the treasures left behind by Emperor Yuan after his death—they’re hard to sell, aren’t they?”
“They are rather difficult to sell. Out of five items, only two were barely sold.” Luo Feng waved his hand, and three treasures appeared before them—the remaining red cloak, boots, and gloves.
“The two more valuable ones were sold, leaving the three most ordinary ones.” Emperor Qing looked at them and said, “These three are early-stage God Emperor treasures. How about this—my Ancient Flame Kingdom will buy them back, let’s round up the price—ten thousand Primordial Crystals.”
A single Primordial Crystal required an exchange between the two ancient kingdoms—one million merit points for each.
Ten thousand Primordial Crystals amounted to one billion merit points!
That was an astronomical amount of merit, enough to make even second-stage Divine Kings look up in awe. Even for Emperors and Monarchs, amassing such vast merit was an incredibly difficult feat.
“Alright.” Luo Feng nodded with a smile.
With a sweep of his hand, Emperor Qing conjured a heap of dazzling Primordial Crystals that floated beside them.
Luo Feng’s eyes brightened. Each Primordial Crystal was about the size of a fingertip, round and smooth. Even the natural aura they emitted made him feel an urge to absorb them immediately.
“Primordial Crystals are the universal currency outside the Source World,” Emperor Qing explained. “They’re refined by Primordial Lifeforms who have broken free from the Caged World, condensed from the essence of endless Primordial Power. Each crystal is small—convenient for trading.”
Luo Feng collected the pile of crystals with a wave, though he kept three in his hand to examine carefully.
“Primordial Crystals are beneficial to all lifeforms within the Caged World for their cultivation,” said Emperor Qing.
“Universal currency?” Luo Feng understood, studying the three Primordial Crystals in his palm.
“Absorbing them aids cultivation, but in moderation,” Emperor Qing said. “For someone at the early-stage God Emperor level, don’t absorb more than a hundred per era. If the quantity becomes excessive, the effect will gradually diminish and eventually vanish altogether.”
“Each cultivator’s physical and soul strength varies, so the optimal amount differs as well. You’ll need to explore and find the balance yourself during cultivation.”
“In short, once you feel the effect weaken, immediately reduce the amount,” Emperor Qing reminded. “As long as you maintain a low intake, the Primordial Crystals will remain effective. Before you break free from the Caged World, you can keep using them.”
Luo Feng exclaimed in admiration, “Truly marvelous.”
Primordial Crystals—usable by the guest elders of the two ancient kingdoms and even by God Emperors—were indeed treasures of incredible versatility.
“Brother Milky Way, once your secret technique is perfected and all preparations are complete, inform me anytime.” Emperor Qing handed Luo Feng a command token. “When the time comes, crush this token, and I’ll sense it immediately.”
Even the other Emperors of the Ancient Flame Kingdom only had transmission tokens—messages sent to Emperor Qing, which he ignored during seclusion.
But Luo Feng’s token—Emperor Qing would sense it instantly.
“Alright. Once everything is ready and I leave the Origin Continent, I’ll definitely inform Brother Qing,” Luo Feng agreed gladly.
Emperor Qing smiled and nodded, then took a step forward and disappeared.
……
In the Ancient Flame Kingdom, Qing Capital, inside Emperor Qing Palace.
Eleven Emperors—including Emperor Fu, Emperor Yan, Emperor Jiufeng, and Emperor Chu—had gathered there, either in person or through incarnations.
“Emperor Qing fought the Lord of the Milky Way, and the Lord of the Milky Way released a nine-storied tower that seemed to defeat him?” These Emperors appeared uneasy; after all, the greatest foundation of the Ancient Flame Kingdom’s prestige lay in the Flame Wind Ancestor and Emperor Qing.
Within the Origin Continent, under the limits of its supreme laws, Emperor Qing and the Flame Wind Ancestor weren’t far apart in strength.
“Whoosh.” Emperor Qing appeared on the throne within the grand hall.
“Emperor Qing,” the eleven Emperors turned to him.
Looking at his kin, Emperor Qing frowned and shook his head. “That Lord of the Milky Way is extremely powerful! He even possesses a remarkably strong treasure. With that tower-type treasure in hand, I can’t match him.”
The eleven Emperors were dumbfounded.
Even Emperor Qing couldn’t win?
“Under the Origin Continent’s power restriction, even if an Ancestor takes action, they would need a powerful treasure to suppress the Lord of the Milky Way,” Emperor Qing said, shaking his head. “Even then, they still wouldn’t be able to harm him.”
“This Lord of the Milky Way—his foundation is already complete!” Emperor Qing shook his head lightly before vanishing once again.
The eleven Emperors looked at each other in silence.
“Even an Ancestor, with a treasure, can’t harm this Lord of the Milky Way?” Emperor Yan’s heart turned cold.
Emperor Fu sighed. “We Emperors are helpless even before the Thunder Ancestor or the East Extremity Region Ancestor. Now, we merely have one more figure of that level—the Lord of the Milky Way!”
“Seems like Emperor Yuan’s vengeance must be endured.” Emperor Kong sighed nearby.
“Emperor Kong, stop gloating.” Emperor Yan rebuked sharply.
“I’m only speaking the truth. Do you dare to seek revenge?” Emperor Kong sneered and strode away.
“Let’s go, let’s go. Another Ancestor-level existence.” Emperor Chu, Emperor Jiufeng, and the others also departed one after another.
Emperor Fu, however, felt quite troubled.
“The Lord of the Milky Way is so powerful—his treasure can even suppress Emperor Qing. Is he really Luo He?” Emperor Fu was no longer certain. “With such strength, would he even consider leaving the Origin Continent alongside me?”
Companions had to choose each other.
He had chosen the Lord of the Milky Way—but would the other look favorably upon him? With such a great disparity in power, the Lord of the Milky Way might not even bother with him.
“Cultivation ultimately depends on oneself. I must become strong enough.” Emperor Fu thought silently. “I must find a way to reach the Ultimate Realm.”
His comprehension of formations was extremely deep—only a thin veil separated him from the Ultimate Realm, yet he simply couldn’t pierce it.
Emperor Fu could only feel frustrated.
……
“Emperor Qing finally acted—to avenge Emperor Yuan!”
“Emperor Qing and the Lord of the Milky Way are both terrifyingly strong.”
“Hm?”
“Emperor Qing lost?”
“That nine-storied tower defeated him?”
Those with a bit of discernment could tell—this time, Emperor Qing had lost by a margin! The revelation left many shaken.
After all, there was a common belief on the Origin Continent: unless the Ancestors of the Two Kingdoms acted, Emperor Qing was invincible!
Yet this time, the Lord of the Milky Way, wielding that nine-storied tower, had suppressed even Emperor Qing.
“In our Ancient Thunder Kingdom, apart from the Ancestor, there’s no one above the Divine King level. We’ll have to be more cautious in the future.” The Monarchs of the Ancient Thunder Kingdom were even more unsettled than the Emperors of the Ancient Flame Kingdom.
……
“Isn’t that the Star Tower I forged?” Master Zuo Shan Ke, through the recordings of the Thunder Chamber of Commerce, clearly witnessed the battle between Emperor Qing and Luo Feng—and the emergence of the Star Tower.
“Star Tower, a treasure of the First Stage Divine King level, could actually defeat Emperor Qing?” Zuo Shan Ke was stunned.
“It seems that when I forged the Star Tower, that ray of golden light that fused into it was truly extraordinary,” he thought.
With his skill, he had been exceedingly cautious during the forging, leaving no room for flaws in the materials. Yet that golden light had ignored the formation and domain he laid out and had directly merged into the Star Tower. He had sensed something was off at the time.
After that golden light fused with the Star Tower, the tower swiftly took form. From his perspective back then, it had indeed appeared to be a First Stage Divine King treasure.
He simply couldn’t perceive the Star Tower’s true nature.
Even the process of bonding with it had been far more difficult than he’d expected! Only Luo Feng, standing at the edge of life and death, had gained its recognition.
“A fine treasure also needs the right master.”
“In Luo Feng’s hands, the Star Tower can truly unleash its power.” Zuo Shan Ke sighed with emotion. As its forger, even as a First Stage Divine King himself, he couldn’t see through the Star Tower’s true mysteries.
But Zuo Shan Ke felt nothing but joy—joy for his disciple!
After avenging his sea of blood hatred, his heart was utterly at peace. Now, what mattered most to him was his disciple, Luo Feng. The more dazzling Luo Feng became, the happier he felt.
“That little fellow who once walked out from Earth… without realizing it, he already stood atop the peak of the Origin Continent.” Zuo Shan Ke smiled to himself.
******
In Huyang City, within the City Lord’s mansion, inside a quiet chamber.
Luo Feng was in secluded cultivation. Affairs of the Milky Way Divine Kingdom were mainly managed by Morosa. Of course, if a crucial situation arose, Luo Feng could reach the Milky Way Divine Kingdom with a single thought.
“This exchange was Emperor Qing’s way of granting me an opportunity,” Luo Feng understood clearly.
From beginning to end, Emperor Qing had only displayed a single “Three Thousand Killing Array.” He hadn’t used any other powerful techniques or treasures. Could someone who had wandered beyond the Source World for countless years—someone above the Divine King realm—not possess desperate means? Would he truly have no treasures back home?
Had he gone all out, Luo Feng wasn’t certain he could have won.
His treasures might have the advantage, but Emperor Qing’s comprehension was higher. If he wielded treasures of late-stage or complete God Emperor level, they might rival the Star Tower.
“Within the Origin Continent, under the limits of its power, neither I, Emperor Qing, nor the Ancestors of the Two Kingdoms—none of us can truly harm the other.”
“But once outside the Origin Continent, the gap widens greatly.”
Luo Feng knew well that his so-called invincibility came from benefiting under the Origin Continent’s supreme restrictive laws.
“I must cultivate diligently—at least reach the Ultimate Realm.” Luo Feng flipped his hand, revealing a single Primordial Crystal in his palm. The smooth, jade-like crystal, about the size of a fingertip, he swallowed in one gulp.
The Primordial Crystal entered his body and began to dissolve slowly.
“Hm?”
Primordial Crystals were essences refined from Primordial Power. For anyone short of becoming a Primordial Lifeform, they provided immense benefit.
At that moment, Luo Feng’s physical body was nourished, his soul strengthened, and even his thoughts flowed several times faster—his comprehension deepened noticeably.
“It even strengthens both body and soul,” Luo Feng marveled.
The Primordial Crystal, at an extremely slow pace, enhanced his physical body and soul. Theoretically, with infinite Primordial Crystals and time, one could grow incomprehensibly strong.
Unfortunately, only a limited amount could be consumed per era; taking too many would instead lessen the effect—or even nullify it.
“The higher one’s life level, the weaker most treasures’ nourishment. Yet Primordial Crystals remain consistently effective.” Luo Feng closed his eyes, focusing on comprehending the materials of the three Ultimate Realm Primordial Bloodline Beasts he’d obtained.
Time flowed steadily in cultivation.
……
Since his duel with Emperor Qing, no one on the Origin Continent dared challenge the Milky Way Divine Kingdom again.
The Lord of the Milky Way now stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ancestors of the Two Kingdoms, the East Extremity Region Ancestor, and Emperor Qing—four figures of equal standing! Moreover, because the Lord of the Milky Way despised evil, even the ancient beings of the Origin Continent dared not act recklessly. At least, acts of devouring billions of living beings had completely ceased for now.
In the blink of an eye, three hundred eras passed since the establishment of the Milky Way Divine Kingdom.
That day, an unremarkable event took place—
Elder Yuan of the Blade River Sect broke through and became a Divine King.