Swallowing the Stars: The Rise of Emperor Wei

Chapter 154 First Entry into Chaos City

"We have entered the initial universe," the tall captain announced. "Exterior scenery is 100% virtual."

Suddenly, the entire spaceship became almost transparent, and one could see at a glance some chaotic currents occasionally drifting in the dim light outside.

In the distance, one could faintly see the heavens and earth cracking open from time to time, and even see a large number of strange and mysterious patterns flowing at the edges of the cracked space.

Gao Sheng, however, did not sense any fluctuations in the laws.

Since it was just a virtual exterior view, the spaceship didn't actually have any windows open.

Half an hour later, an ancient city appeared below the spaceship.

"Outdoor filming closed!"

"We've arrived. Everyone, get off here," said the tall captain.

The hatch opened, and more than a hundred people flew out, many heading directly towards the city below.

Only Gao Sheng and a dozen or so others remained in the air.

"So comfortable!" Gao Sheng felt refreshed as soon as he stepped out of the cabin.

"This is Chaos Qi." Ji Qing stretched out his hand. "I've heard that this 'Chaos Qi' is different from the various cosmic energies with attributes in the original universe, and it's also somewhat different from the unique cosmic source energy. It's a strange power that can nurture all things."

"I've heard that this kind of energy only exists in the initial universe. Even if it's brought back to the original universe, it will decompose," said the world lord of the First Bank who came with him.

"Is that the fundamental law?" Gao Sheng looked at the distant horizon, where the threads of secret patterns floating in the spatial rifts were constantly being created and destroyed, repairing those spatial rifts. The rifts were constantly repaired and then reappeared, with countless threads intertwined, changing in countless ways.

This was no longer a virtual landscape; Gao Sheng immediately saw the interweaving and evolution of the laws of fire, wood, space, and other laws.

"What?!" Gao Sheng was stunned. This was too clear! It was much clearer than when he usually cultivated and comprehended the fluctuations of the laws!

However, it is also far too mysterious and complex.

The others also looked into the depths of the sky, especially the immortals, who all wore expressions of fascination.

Just as Gao Sheng and his group stepped out of the spaceship.

On the endless, desolate land, corpses lay strewn about, resembling an ancient battlefield.

A man dressed in dark red battle armor, with a scaled tail, sat on the battlefield, his eyes calm as a vast ocean or an endless starry sky.

"These eleven are fine... but that soul defense technique is quite peculiar. Humans shouldn't have such a technique; I wonder what circumstances led to its creation..."

Great will is no longer of concern.

……

At that moment, a dark shadow flew up from the city below.

"If this is your first time in Chaos City, follow me!"

Immediately, thirteen people flew towards the dark figure.

"Gentlemen, I am the welcoming envoy of Chaos City." The black-robed man below had already flown closer, and said with a smile, "This is Chaos City, which has existed for longer than most of the universe nations you live in! It is currently jointly managed by Virtual Universe Company, Giant Axe Arena, Universe First Bank, Universe Galaxy Bank, and Universe Mercenary Alliance."

"Don't look at it now, there'll be plenty of time to look at it later. Come with me."

The black-robed messenger led the dozen or so people down the mountain, all the way to the ancient streets of Chaos City, where he led them on a walk.

Among the thirteen newcomers who had just arrived in Chaos City, there were two Universe-level beings, three Domain Lords, six World Lords, and even two Immortals.

They all obediently followed behind the black-robed messenger.

"Chaos City has existed for a long time, and many super beings have been born in Chaos City through its meditation."

"Some of you are geniuses recruited by the five major powers, while others obtained initial universe enlightenment slots through various channels," the black-robed envoy said as he walked. "No matter how you got here, in Chaos City, it's all the same!"

The messenger pointed to the rows of small buildings lining both sides of the street, "There are many small buildings in Chaos City. The doors are pale white, which means that the place is unoccupied. As long as you place your hand on the door for a moment, the sensor system inside the door will automatically activate, turning the door dark gray. You will then automatically become the owner of this residence, and your information will be automatically recorded. Each person can only choose one place to live."

Gao Sheng looked at both sides of the street. On both sides were mountains, with small buildings stacked one on top of another, stretching all the way to the depths of the chaotic air currents above the mountains.

On the rooftops of many small buildings, you can see some cultivators, all sitting cross-legged, motionless.

Above the sky, near the farthest rift in space, one can vaguely see beings standing in mid-air.

A powerful aura still emanated from the entire Chaos City, soaring into the sky that even cosmic-level beings like Gao Sheng and Ji Qing could sense it.

"In the primordial universe, killing one another is forbidden!..." The black-robed envoy explained the rules of Chaos City as he walked, "No matter who it is, even if they are the ruler of a cosmic kingdom, they cannot defy the rules of Chaos City."

"Yes."

"clear."

Everyone in the entourage nodded.

Ahead on the street, a majestic and imposing building, over three hundred meters tall, appeared, with the three most dazzling characters of the universal language visible from afar: City Lord's Mansion.

As Gao Sheng gazed at the words, it was as if his consciousness was irresistibly drawn into them, as if there were another world within those characters.

"Amazing!" Gao Sheng quickly looked away.

"That's the City Lord's Mansion," the black-robed envoy said. "It's where the City Lord resides, and it's also the core of the entire Chaos City."

"There are three treasures in Chaos City," the black-robed envoy said with a smile. "The first treasure, as everyone has already seen, is the law of the universe's operation, which can be seen with the naked eye. As for the second treasure, it is inside the City Lord's Mansion. The third treasure is outside Chaos City."

The thirteen newcomers were a mix of confusion and excitement.

"The second treasure is within the City Lord's Mansion—the most precious 52 Chaos Tablets!" The black-robed envoy exclaimed excitedly. "Each Chaos Tablet records numerous mysterious patterns and so on. These 52 Chaos Tablets represent 52 major paths of cultivation, directly leading to the ultimate peak! Every cultivator entering the Initial Universe for the first time has one opportunity to comprehend them, with each person having seven days to do so!"

"Seven days?"

"So short?" "The Chaos Stele is a treasure of humankind. It conveys the path to the ultimate peak more clearly than any secret technique. Seven days of comprehension is enough for you." The black-robed envoy walked towards the main gate of the city lord's mansion. "Come in, everyone. The first thing for those who have come to Chaos City for the first time is to choose a Chaos Stele to study."

"Each person can only choose one Chaos Stele to observe and comprehend." The black-robed envoy led the dozen or so people to the entrance of a dreamlike corridor.

Huge paintings hang on the walls on both sides of the corridor.

Even without counting the number of promotions, it's clear there are 52.

"Here are 52 rubbings of images, each corresponding to a Chaos Stele. Please look at these images first. Although they are not the actual Chaos Steles, they can still give you a glimpse of them. Look at these 52 images... and then decide which Chaos Stele you wish to view," the black-robed envoy said. "You have half an hour to choose the Chaos Stele you wish to view."

Immediately, more than a dozen people scattered in the corridor, each looking at the walls on both sides.

Gao Sheng also walked down the corridor and began to look at the pictures.

Raindrops? Is this the Nine Universes Chaos Stele?

Looking up, the painting indeed bore the five large characters "Nine Universes Chaos Stele".

Gao Sheng looked at the first of the nine paintings, which depicted nine raindrops, and became completely absorbed in it, staring intently at it.

Hmm? It is indeed the law of space, but it's like looking at flowers through fog; I can't see it clearly no matter how hard I try.

Half a minute later, Xiao Ai's voice rang in Gao Sheng's consciousness: "Master, stop looking and look at the next one."

Gao Sheng regained his senses and shook his head.

This is not the Chaos Stele, but just a rubbing of a picture; it's normal that it's not clear.

Gao Sheng continued looking at other pictures.

A picture shows all sorts of celestial bodies.

Planets, nebulae, galaxies, and star rivers are becoming increasingly complex.

"This star?"

Gao Sheng stared intently, and the star seemed to be a real celestial body rapidly changing—born, condensing, exploding, and then collapsing…

"What?" Gao Sheng was shocked awake. He looked at the picture and saw it was the Cosmic Chaos Monument.

One after another, Gao Sheng watched them all the way.

"This is?"

Within the endless black fog are planets of all sizes, seemingly floating and disappearing in the fog, but upon closer inspection, the scene remains motionless.

Gao Sheng's consciousness was immediately drawn in, and the black mist began to churn and change.

Gao Sheng was shocked. "The Dark Chaos Monument? Light? Space? Time?"

……

Some people get so engrossed in it that they need Xiao Ai to wake them up.

Some were attracted, but soon woke up on their own.

Some paintings, while conveying a sense of principle or artistic conception, are ultimately impossible to grasp.

Gao Sheng, after all, was able to sense all the laws, and by looking at these rubbings, he could basically determine which laws they were related to.

"This picture?"

Gao Sheng stared blankly at a picture. The picture had only one scene: an ancient, towering tree with an incredibly thick trunk and countless twisted lines extending along it. Many branches extended out from the sides, with leaves still attached to them. Some of these leaves were already withered and yellow, and countless more were falling off. There were more than ten thousand withered and yellow leaves floating in mid-air alone, and the ground was also covered with fallen leaves.

The entire scene, though seemingly still, appears as if every leaf is falling.

"Hmm?" Gao Sheng sensed a unique charm about the big tree, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"These leaves?"

Some people might notice the varied arrangement of the fallen leaves when they first see this painting, but Gao Sheng immediately noticed that none of the tens of thousands of leaves are the same.

Gao Sheng stared at a fallen leaf at the edge of the screen. This withered yellow leaf had a faint hint of red showing through it.

Buzz... The leaf seemed to merge with the surrounding leaves and began to slowly evolve in Gao Sheng's consciousness.

"The Law of Fire?"

After a while, Gao Sheng woke up automatically and looked at the top of the picture, where the five characters "Mother Ancestor Chaos Stele" were written.

"What is this?" Gao Sheng noticed that the twisted patterns on the tree trunk seemed to have another secret.

"Time's up!" Xiao Ai reminded her.

……

"Is this the Heart-Traces Chaos Stele?"

The drawing shows a series of knife marks, each one giving a different feeling. There are a total of 10081 knife marks in the drawing.

Gao Sheng stared at one of the knife marks, and suddenly the knife mark seemed to rush into Gao Sheng's consciousness, transforming into streaks of sharp sword light.

Although it was clearly a knife mark, Gao Sheng seemed to see sword light evolving, or as if countless flying knives were attacking in combination, triggering the laws of metal and space.

"The Law of Metal? The Law of Space? These suit Luo Feng."

Gao Sheng has mastered all five basic laws of the spatial system, but he hasn't spent time studying the laws of metal, water, and earth.

Gao Sheng shook his head and moved on to the next one.

The Wind and Shadow Chaos Stele didn't evoke much of a feeling; it seemed to be about wind and space.

The Time Chaos Monument—light and time? Still, I feel nothing.

The Giant Axe Chaos Stele? Gao Sheng sensed it briefly, and sword techniques automatically arose in his mind.

Yanshan Chaos Stele?

The Chaos Stele of Tianxu?

The Dark Chaos Stele?

Dragon Walking Chaos Stele?

The Chaos Monument of the Void?

Thunder Chaos Monument?

……

It took about half an hour to finish, and I barely managed to see all 52 rubbings.

Gao Sheng closed his eyes and pondered.

Which one to choose?

I felt a connection to most of the Chaos Tablets, and I felt that more than a dozen of them were quite suitable for promotion.

"The Nine Universes Chaos Stele, it's quite impressive, and it's purely spatial, progressing step by step. My spatial laws are a weakness..."

"The Giant Axe Chaos Stele should primarily focus on space, with an emphasis on combat and the creation of arcane arts..."

……

"Xiao Ai? Which one do you think I should choose?" Gao Sheng asked in his mind.

"This? I have no suggestions. I only suggest you go with your gut feeling. What you most want to see is definitely the most suitable for you," Xiao Ai said.

What do you most want to see? Gao Sheng was taken aback. Does this count as following your heart?

……

"Alright, we'll be there in half an hour. Tell me which Chaos Stele you choose, and I'll make a record," the black-robed envoy called out.

"I choose the Great Axe Chaos Monument!" an immortal declared.

"I choose the Heart-Traces Chaos Stele!" a realm lord said quickly.

"I choose the Nine Universes Chaos Stele!"

"I choose the Giant Axe Chaos Stele!"

……

"I choose the Dark Chaos Monument," Ji Qing said after a moment's hesitation.

Gao Sheng was slightly surprised, thinking she would choose the Time Chaos Monument.

A moment later, the black-robed messenger arrived before Gao Sheng.

"I choose... the Mother Ancestor Chaos Stele," Gao Sheng said.

Go with your gut feeling! Gao Sheng felt that what he wanted to see most, what attracted him the most, was the Mother Ancestor Chaos Stele.

At this moment, Lao Tie said in Gao Sheng's mind, "Ha, Gao Sheng, which tree do you choose?"

A tree? That's the Chaos Stele, isn't it?

"Is there a problem?"

"No problem," Old Tie said, "Looks like you're destined to have it."

"A connection?" Gao Sheng asked in surprise.

The old man stopped talking.

What is the relationship between the Mother Ancestor Chaos Stele and the Mother Ancestor Planet?

Old Tie from the secret passage to Gaosheng must know something, and he's being so mysterious about it.