Chapter 1298: Speculation

“What are you saying? If Domain Lord hadn’t brought me here, I really wouldn’t have been able to come to this interesting place.”

Yi Tianyun surveyed the surroundings. This area might contain more treasures; maybe he could even find the Illusory Metal Core! That would give him a guaranteed foundation for his next planet.

“No need to call me Domain Lord anymore; just call me Liuli,” Domain Lord Liuli said with a smile.

“Huh…?” Yi Tianyun was startled. Had his status risen so quickly? Usually, you’d only call someone by name if your cultivation was at a similar level, or if you were on friendly terms.

“Don’t think too much about it. You should know that when cultivations are about the same, that’s how people address each other,” Domain Lord Liuli explained. “You’re technically still at the Heaven Monarchs level, but overall, your strength is comparable to mine, so let’s call each other friends.”

Power was the ultimate basis for respect. One moment you might address someone as Elder, and the next, they might be calling you Senior if your cultivation surpassed theirs. If your level was lower, you had to say “Senior,” and if your level was about the same, you called each other “Fellow Daoist.” If you far exceeded them, they had to call you “Senior” or “my Lord.”

Here, it all revolved around cultivation, not age. “Those who excel are teachers”, that was the logic.

“Then I’ll be bold and call you Sister Liuli. Just calling you ‘Liuli’ is a bit awkward,” Yi Tianyun said a little sheepishly, scratching his head. He’d always addressed her as Domain Lord; changing it suddenly felt odd.

“Sister Liuli isn’t bad. In that case, I’ll acknowledge you as my younger brother.” Domain Lord Liuli’s eyes curved in a smile; she was growing fonder of Yi Tianyun by the moment. She hadn’t expected that she’d really struck gold, finding such a remarkable genius.

Even though she didn’t know how he cultivated, she only cared about the result, not the process. As long as he had this level of strength, her Heavenly Spring God Domain would be that much more secure.

“Now then, any thoughts on where we should go next?”

Yi Tianyun looked around; aside from an endless sea of golden sand, there was nothing else, completely barren. No signposts, no landmarks, seemingly a dead end.

If there were some kind of demonic beasts roaming around, he might have captured one or two to force them to show the way. He’d done that sort of thing before, but there was nothing here. The only living souls were presumably the cultivators who had come in.

Domain Lord Liuli turned, scanning the area as her willow-leaf brows knitted slightly.

“We really don’t know which way to go. There’s not a single clue, so it looks like we’ll just have to fly around and see.”

They each held a Ten Lives Heavenly Bead, but it gave no direction, only protection.

With that, they began flying at random. They traversed dune after dune of golden sand, and there was no real change in the scenery. Occasionally, a gold-sand tornado would rush them, buffeting them violently.

Fortunately, the beads offered protection; otherwise, they truly would have had a bit of trouble. For now, it was manageable, but being stuck here indefinitely brought another issue: energy consumption.

Flying around aimlessly burned a lot of stamina, and maintaining the bead’s protective shield also required energy. Earlier, they couldn’t use the beads, but inside this place, they could, only for the purpose of generating that shield.

Over time, if they couldn’t replenish energy, it would eventually run out. Though this realm was filled with Illusory Metal Power, they couldn’t absorb any of it, let alone restore themselves.

Unless they specifically cultivated Illusory Metal Power, it would be impossible to remain here for too long.

Of course, “not too long” meant it might still be ten thousand years or so. They had plenty of pills in their storage rings, so consumption wasn’t a big worry for now. But if they stayed away too long, the Heavenly Spring God Domain would surely descend into chaos.

Yi Tianyun didn’t know whether Teleportation God Stones would work here. Teleportation-type items probably wouldn’t function, either. To teleport out of this enormous statue, you’d at least have to know where the exit boundary was. Right now, they had no idea; there was no way to escape.

“Not a single change. Looks like we’re really stuck here,” Domain Lord Liuli said grimly.

Yi Tianyun lowered his gaze to the bead in his hand and said calmly:

“Given that this thing appeared, Sister Liuli, have you thought about anything?”

“Death?” Domain Lord Liuli immediately thought of something.

“Exactly, death,” Yi Tianyun responded. “It suddenly showed up, like it’s arranged for ‘qualified cultivators’ to come and be tested. If you fail, that item returns to the fifth level, so others can compete for the right to open the gate and enter.”

“Meaning at most only ten people can come in for the trial,” Domain Lord Liuli speculated.

“I think so. If all ten die, or if all the participants die, the whole process starts over.” Yi Tianyun shook his head. “That’s probably the best explanation for its appearance, it isn’t some random treasure dropping from the sky; it’s a trial set up for us.”

Domain Lord Liuli fell silent. Thinking carefully, it did indeed match Yi Tianyun’s words. It wasn’t some heavenly treasure falling into their laps but a means of testing them.

Only ten participants in total could join, and how many would survive in the end was anyone’s guess.

“I suppose that must be it. If we want to claim this Upper Heavenly Venerable’s treasures, we have to risk it all,” she said, continuing to fly forward with Yi Tianyun. Before long, they spotted figures in the distance.

It was the other three factions, gathered together, seemingly discussing something. Some among them were only God Monarchs, who appeared to be suffering as they resisted the sand outside.

Lacking their own Ten Lives Heavenly Beads, they had to rely on physical defenses.

The moment Yi Tianyun and Domain Lord Liuli appeared, all eyes converged on them. God Monarch Lu Yuan sent a voice transmission:

“Friends, would you mind coming over here so we can discuss something?”

Yi Tianyun and Domain Lord Liuli exchanged glances and decided to land. Wandering aimlessly wasn’t really a plan.

When they touched down, the entire group’s attention focused on Yi Tianyun. Many cultivators were seething with jealousy, wanting him to hand over the Ten Lives Heavenly Beads. They had hoped to hide in storage spaces, but those were blocked, they couldn’t go inside.

They could still take items out, but nobody could enter. So there was no way to evade the rules; the beads were the only method to stay safe.

For these people, Yi Tianyun left the deepest impression: just one thought, speed! He snatched the beads so fast, ran so fast, and yet he was still just a Heaven Monarch…

1 Bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stone!

If you enjoy this, please support us on P at reon to read more chapters!

I post 2 chapters per day there!

You can read up to 300 chapters ahead on P atreon:

htt p s://ww w.p atreon.co m/ (delete spaces)

Visit for more chapters. I rarely post on !

Join our community on Discord:

“Is there something we need to discuss?” Domain Lord Liuli asked, stepping forward.

Everyone’s attention shifted to Domain Lord Liuli again. It seemed the authority to speak rested with her, so they all focused on her once more.

“It’s quite simple: could you lend us a few beads? Our companions can’t endure going any farther like this.” A half-step Heavenly Venerable named God Monarch Si Tian stepped out.

Even though he was half-step Heavenly Venerable, he was still essentially a God Monarch, so his title remained “God Monarch.”

“No. What does that have to do with us? If we didn’t have any beads, would you give yours to us?” Domain Lord Liuli retorted mercilessly. If they were in the same position, would they really hand over any beads? That was impossible, even if one of them died, they wouldn’t give up a single bead. For strangers with no ties to you, why help them? And who knew if, after helping, they might stab you in the back? Such events happened all the time.

Her words left them speechless, not knowing how to respond.

“These items are no use in great quantities, couldn’t you spare a few? We’d compensate you, of course. Consider it a temporary loan, and we can all move on together. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” God Monarch Si Tian said with a smile.

“Move on together? How amusing. If you want a bead, no problem, as long as you swear to stay with us as a single unit, protect our safety, and absolutely never strike from behind. When it comes to choosing treasures, we get first pick! Swear an oath to these terms, and we’ll give you a bead immediately!” Domain Lord Liuli replied sharply.

Her barrage of conditions dumbfounded God Monarch Si Tian. If he swore to all that, would there be any point in continuing? He’d basically be their bodyguard.

“Er…” He couldn’t possibly agree. He’d only been probing to see if they would trust him.

Clearly, anyone able to reach this level wasn’t a fool. Especially having cultivated to this point, how could they still be naive?

“Nothing to say, right? If you won’t agree, then shut up,” Domain Lord Liuli said coldly.

“Hmph!” God Monarch Si Tian’s expression darkened. Being berated by a woman stirred him to anger inside. Just as he was about to retort, God Monarch Lu Yuan interjected.

“Alright, enough bickering! We’re all here now, so let’s get to the results of our discussion.” He stepped forward as a mediator. “Let’s set aside the matter of distributing beads for the moment and talk about how to use them.”

“We’ve been circling around here for quite some time and found ourselves going in circles. We suspect it’s some high-level illusion, and we can’t get out at all.”

“After a lot of thought, maybe only these beads can guide us. A single bead on its own might not do much. But if we gather all of them, perhaps that will open a path.”

God Monarch Lu Yuan’s analysis was quite logical. Domain Lord Liuli and the others brightened at the idea. Indeed, this could very well be the case. If they didn’t cooperate, the ten beads wouldn’t be in one place; forget about forging a path.

No one could be sure if that would work, but it seemed like the only possibility right now.

Of course, God Monarch Lu Yuan was the type who looked pleasant enough but had secret schemes. One had to be careful or risk being taken advantage of. It was similar to when they opened the gate earlier, he had seemed perfectly upright and harmless, then tried to snatch beads the instant the door opened. But even so, they had no choice but to test this plan; otherwise, they had no clue how to escape.

Another half-step Heavenly Venerable, a silent figure standing off by himself, radiated a cold and somber aura, almost like an ice sculpture in human form. Clearly he cultivated an ice attribute, making him appear frigid and taciturn.

Domain Lord Liuli and Yi Tianyun exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. “Alright then, let’s give it a try.”

So they each produced their beads. Yi Tianyun’s group took out the most, five beads in total, half of the entire set, inciting envy from all around. But no one dared attempt any rash actions; everyone had witnessed Yi Tianyun’s speed, and there was also Domain Lord Liuli at his side, so who would dare provoke them?

Once the beads were out, the others also presented theirs. As soon as all ten beads appeared, they began to resonate with each other, beams of light interlinking them in a luminous web.

“It’s working!”

They were delighted. It seemed their hunch was correct, only by doing this could they reveal some sort of route.

While they quietly celebrated, the ten beads abruptly flew forward, breaking free of their owners’ hands. The orbs then merged again into one massive bead, becoming that Heavenly Venerable Spirit Treasure, the Ten Lives Heavenly Bead!

In that instant, everyone lost their protective shields. They immediately sensed the ripping force of the environment biting into their bodies, but they could still bear it. Without pausing to check themselves, however, they took off in pursuit of the Ten Lives Heavenly Bead.

Once fully combined, the Ten Lives Heavenly Bead sped away at top speed, showing no sign of waiting. It simply flew onward by itself.

Clearly, it was leading them to the next entrance, if they could keep up and not lose sight of it. Otherwise, everything would be for nothing. Not only would the bead be gone, they would remain trapped here.

“Hurry!”

They were so frantic they wished they had extra legs. The Ten Lives Heavenly Bead was shockingly fast, streaking tens of thousands of li in a flash.

Some God Monarchs lacking speed were instantly left behind, further slowed by the ceaseless harassment of Illusory Gold Power. Only four half-step Heavenly Venerables could keep pace, plus Yi Tianyun, who was the lone exception.

“We’re still too slow. Let me take you with me!” Yi Tianyun didn’t wait for Domain Lord Liuli to react. He grabbed her into his arms, and Phoenix Bloodline power exploded from within. A giant Phoenix Phantom Shadow flared behind him.

His speed soared by three hundredfold. Coupled with the Evil Heavenly Monarch Set he wore, it spiked once more.

Whoosh! In an instant, he left three half-step Heavenly Venerables far behind, stunning them.

“Damn it, he can go even faster?!” God Monarch Lu Yuan had already activated his Kunpeng Bloodline power, but Yi Tianyun’s speed surpassed his anyway?

Kunpeng Bloodline was supposed to outstrip Phoenix Bloodline in pure speed, but with a four-hundredfold velocity multiplier, Yi Tianyun’s base might be lower, yet that massive multiplier gave him an overall edge.

Even then, it was only slightly faster, he hadn’t completely outstripped them by a huge margin. Nonetheless, everyone, including Domain Lord Liuli, was utterly shocked!

1 Bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stone!

If you enjoy this, please support us on P at reon to read more chapters!

I post 2 chapters per day there!

You can read up to 300 chapters ahead on P atreon:

(delete spaces)

Visit . com for more chapters. I rarely post on !

Join our community on Discord:

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.