Swallowed Star 2: Land of Origin

Yulan City.

A thin veil of rain draped over the vast heavens and earth. Luo Feng, restless amidst the silence, stepped out of his cave mansion.

"The more I understand, the more I realize how difficult it is to 'escape the braided cage.'" Luo Feng pondered. His current aim wasn't to achieve a breakthrough in the Life and Death Dao but to comprehend the mysteries of the Primordial Bloodlines—how they achieved 'perfect union, seamlessly natural.'

Perfect union, seamlessly natural, would lead to entirely breaking through the braided cage and reaching a new realm.

"I've spent considerable time—five full cycles of study—on the 323 varieties of Early Stage Divine Emperor Primordial Bloodlines before setting them temporarily aside." Each new bout of comprehension would yield something new, though the returns diminished as time went on.

Luo Feng had invested nearly 1,500 epochs acquiring and studying these Primordial Bloodlines.

Most of these 1,500 epochs were devoted to comprehending Early Stage Divine Emperor Primordial Bloodlines.

Only recently did he start studying the Middle Stage Bloodlines, and currently, he had managed to meticulously analyze 34 types.

"Every variety of Middle Stage Divine Emperor Bloodline has brought me tremendous insights. I've delved into 34 of them in succession, and my soul aches with exhaustion," Luo Feng thought. For these roughly 1,500 epochs, he had constantly been using various auxiliary treasures to aid cultivation, which had taken a toll on his soul.

Only now did he decide to rest.

"I can feel it..."

"Every piece of Primordial Bloodline draws me closer to 'escaping the braided cage.' I must thoroughly study these Primordial Bloodlines. There's no room for impatience!"

Luo Feng treasured these resources greatly.

At this moment, Luo Feng had the intuition that, with enough time and effort to consolidate his understanding, he could soon upgrade the Life and Death Dao to the Late Stage Divine Emperor level. However, he wasn't in a rush.

The deeper the accumulation, the more profound the understanding of the Life and Death Dao, thereby fortifying the stability of his chosen path.

"No need to rush," he reassured himself.

Once the Life and Death Dao reached the Late Stage Divine Emperor, it would elevate him above even the Three Hall Masters in rank. In the Dark Sacred Realm, he would shine as an unparalleled figure.

Yet now, he could almost touch this realm!

At times, Luo Feng wondered—was he truly a peerless prodigy?

Other cultivators remained trapped at some bottleneck, unable to break through.

Step by step, Luo Feng ascended naturally to higher realms.

"Compared to other cultivators, perhaps I am able to grasp the essence of the Dao more directly," Luo Feng pondered. Many cultivators struggled endlessly at the periphery of the Great Dao, while Luo Feng could see and seize its core truth with clarity.

"I see many cultivators as mediocre. Perhaps in Senior Yuan's eyes, I too might appear mediocre," Luo Feng chuckled lightly.

The fine rain continued to fall.

For once, Luo Feng refrained from cultivation, taking pleasure in admiring the city he resided in.

"Hahaha... hahahaha..." A grim laughter rang out from the distance.

Luo Feng turned to look.

Yulan City sprawled across vast lands. Beside a lake stood an elder drinking wine and laughing mournfully. The sorrow embedded in the laughter was palpable even to Luo Feng.

"An Ultimate Realm Godly King?" Luo Feng instantly discerned the elder's power. He quickly suppressed his own aura, letting it barely reach the Divine Emperor threshold.

Luo Feng approached.

"Old fellow, what weighs so heavily on your heart?" Luo Feng produced a jug of wine and tossed it toward the elder.

The elder caught the jug without much thought, took a sip, and his eyes lit up. He nodded in approval: "Good wine! I was merely feeling irked earlier. Laughing it out helps, hahaha..."

"Irked?" Luo Feng asked, observing him.

"I, an Ultimate Realm Godly King, have spent ages here in Yulan City doing odd jobs, still having to pay residence fees, cave mansion rental fees, and more. After tens of thousands of epochs, I just managed to save a bit of wealth," the elder replied. "I finally bought some breakthrough-assisting elixirs, but on my way back, I discovered the elixirs were gone."

"Gone?" Luo Feng deduced.

An Ultimate Realm Godly King wouldn't simply lose their treasures. There was only one likely explanation—they had been stolen.

Luo Feng himself had experienced theft upon arriving in Yulan City.

"Those of us weak Ultimate Realm Godly Kings often don't even notice when we're robbed," the elder lamented. "In the past, I didn't care much when I was stolen from. But this time, it was the hard-earned fortune I had used to purchase auxiliary elixirs. Now, it's all gone."

"It's too difficult, far too difficult."

"Earning Primordial Crystals is difficult, surviving is difficult, cultivation is difficult," the elder said with complexity in his tone.

Yet, after taking a couple more sips, the elder laughed again. "Still, despite the hardships, at least in Yulan City, there's hope for cultivation."

"Indeed, there's hope," Luo Feng nodded. Everyone who came to Yulan City did so in pursuit of greater progress on the cultivation path.

"Thank you for the fine wine, old friend," the elder said with a smile before departing.

Life as a cultivator must continue forward.

Watching the elder leave, Luo Feng murmured, "This is the normal life of Yulan City's bottom tier."

Di Fu and Emperor Ming, upon arriving at Yulan City, faced similar struggles—finding even the most ordinary jobs proved immensely challenging!

The majority of cultivators in Yulan City, totaling in the billions, belonged to this bottom-tier population. Unable to hunt Low-Level Primordial Life due to lack of strength, they sought ways to serve the strong, merely to earn a fraction of resources. Still, they were prone to theft while having to pay residence fees and cave mansion rental fees.

"Hmm?" A short distance away, the elder suddenly froze, staring at the wine jug in his hand.

Within the jug was an invisible seal hiding a piece of Primordial Crystal.

This one piece of Primordial Crystal was equivalent to ten thousand Primordial Crystals.

"Ten thousand Primordial Crystals?" The elder turned rapidly, searching for Luo Feng's figure by the lakeside, but he was nowhere to be seen. At this moment, the elder realized that the man from earlier was no ordinary individual.

"Thank you, senior," the elder murmured in gratitude, resisting the urge to draw attention to himself. Instead, he immediately hurried toward his cave mansion. He dared not carry such a massive sum of Primordial Crystals around.

...

Walking through Yulan City, Luo Feng observed the numerous bottom-tier cultivators scattered throughout. Most lacked steady, long-term employment.

For many factions, maintaining long-term personnel was a heavy burden. Even at a mere 20 Primordial Crystals per epoch, over a hundred thousand epochs, or a million epochs, the costs would become staggering.

Thus, most factions preferred temporary workers, hiring more during busy periods and dismissing them during lulls.

"Even so, bottom-tier cultivators are the most vulnerable to theft." Luo Feng noticed multiple thefts occurring as he wandered through the city. "They're impoverished, weak, and can't afford treasures such as the Illusion Realm Maze."

"Huff."

A Flying Boat soared past in the distance.

Luo Feng sensed five cultivators aboard, judging from their aura—all likely Divine Emperor Early Stage Enlightened. He guessed they had recently returned from a hunt.

"In Yulan City, even those who escape the bottom tier, with greater strength at the Divine Emperor Early Stage Enlightened level, must risk their lives to hunt."

"Even Divine Emperor Middle Stage Enlightened cultivators often take on these hunting roles. Only a rare few manage to secure key positions in major factions."

Luo Feng reflected.

Take Emperor Qing, for instance—a Divine Emperor Middle Stage Enlightened cultivator who, due to Luo Feng's connection, had landed a desirable post in the Dan Tower. Otherwise, with so many powerful individuals in the city, why would the Changqing Building Owner choose him?

Within Yulan City, few truly led comfortable lives. Over ninety-nine percent faced persistent hardship.

"Even in the face of so much adversity, they all came here."

"For the sake of their cultivation journey."

Luo Feng reached the entrance of the cave mansion belonging to one of three major predatory factions—the Insect Nest.

Even from a great distance, the enormous, towering spherical entity was visible. Its surface featured countless frenzied faces embedded within, and numerous holes allowed a constant stream of cultivators to come and go.

"The Insect Nest Master," Luo Feng remarked calmly.

Though he hadn't hurried to reach the Late Stage of the Life and Death Dao...

Even at the Middle Stage, when coupled with Life and Destruction already at Late Divine Emperor levels, plus his extensive years of research into Primordial Bloodlines, Luo Feng's foundation was profoundly robust, allowing him to formulate numerous Secret Techniques.

He didn't place much importance on the Three Hall Masters and naturally regarded the Insect Nest Master even less.

"The Infinite Primordial Space contains countless Source Worlds and even more innumerable billions of worlds," Luo Feng mused. "Regardless of whether or not there's an Insect Nest Master, Master of Deceit Workshop, or Shadow Tower Owner, there will always be those willing to steal and plunder."

For resources, no means were too extreme.

In the Nine Rivers Sacred Realm's thirty-five cities, every city faced similar challenges.

Even if Luo Feng became a city lord and forcibly dismantled predatory groups like the Insect Nest, theft and plunder would remain unavoidable.

...

"Luo Feng came to my cave mansion and is staring at me?"

This massive Insect Nest was the physical body of the Insect Nest Master.

Standing outside, Luo Feng gazed at the Insect Nest without hesitation, naturally drawing the attention of the Insect Nest Master.

"I haven't yet procured a suitable mental Secret Treasure," the Insect Nest Master thought worriedly. "I'll have to endure this for now. But once the treasure is in my possession, I'll show Luo Feng the cost of provoking me!"

A sudden mental transmission echoed within the Insect Nest—

"Insect Nest Master, I'm right outside your cave mansion, staring at your massive body. Are you pretending not to notice me?" Luo Feng's voice resounded.

"Luo Feng—" The Insect Nest Master burned with anger, glaring at Luo Feng as she transmitted her reply, "You've crossed the line."

"You went to the Dan Tower and directly attacked me. I'm merely standing outside your cave mansion and speaking a few words—is that overstepping?" Luo Feng's transmitted voice carried a playful humor.

The Insect Nest Master fell silent.

"Your courage is far smaller than the rumors suggest." Seeing the master's silence and lack of retort, Luo Feng dismissed any further interaction and departed without lingering.

The Insect Nest Master had swallowed her pride.

"For him to dare provoke me must mean he has some backing," the master speculated, her instincts sharpened by countless years of existence.

...

As Luo Feng wandered the streets of Yulan City...

Within a modest cave mansion located in the city's outer district...

Two weak cultivators gathered.

"Prepare yourselves; 'The King' will soon enter Yulan City," a thin cultivator transmitted mentally.

"The King is finally coming?" An elderly cultivator grew excited. "I will immediately mobilize my subordinates and prepare them."

"The King's arrival must remain known only to the leaders," the thin cultivator cautioned. "Everyone below the leaders must stay in the dark."

"Rest assured, my subordinates believe this is simply another ordinary infiltration and assassination mission. Such operations have been common in the past," the elderly cultivator assured. "The truth of the plan remains with me alone."

The thin cultivator nodded via mental transmission, "Get ready and wait patiently. When The King enters Yulan City, he'll communicate directly with us leaders."

The elderly cultivator's eagerness showed, "We've waited so long for this. Finally, we'll tear Yulan City apart—its billions of cultivators will be a feast to savor. Once we've devoured enough cultivators, we'll have a chance at regaining our freedom."

Out in the broader world, killing even one cultivator posed significant challenges.

But breaching Yulan City would present billions of cultivators as ready prey!

"Wait patiently; the day is near," the thin cultivator promised with a faint smile.