Chapter 340: Welcoming

At the summit of the Lianyun Mountain Range, Li Yang sat cross-legged in the palace's energy pool, continuously absorbing the Spiritual Power within to increase his strength.

He had just broken through to the Early Star Lord Realm. After that were the Mid Stage, Late Stage, and Peak.

Of course, this strength had to be increased slowly. It was impossible to advance from the Early Stage to the Peak in a single day.

Li Yang could simply take this energy pool with him when he left.

In reality, the amount of energy required to go from the Early Star Lord Realm to the Peak was immense. A normal Star Lord absorbing Spiritual Power to advance might spend several hundred to a thousand years.

However, with this energy pool, Li Yang estimated he could reach the Peak in just over a year!

He didn't lack energy; this year or so was just a process for him to adapt.

"Hmm?"

Lost in thought, Li Yang suddenly stood up. With a wave of his right hand, he put the energy pool away and walked outside.

Outside, a person had appeared. He was a middle-aged man in black armor. His build and appearance were somewhat similar to an Earthling's, but he had a pair of horns on his head and black runes on his face.

"Li Yang," the middle-aged man in black armor said with a smile upon seeing him.

"Mr. Hei Xu." Looking at the man, Li Yang also greeted him with a smile.

The Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall had previously sent him a message, telling him that the person assigned to protect him during his time in the Star Lord Realm was none other than the man before him: the Tri-System Deity, Hei Xu.

"Mr. Hei Xu, I'll be in your care for the next thousand years," Li Yang said with a smile.

'A Deity who's mastered three different laws... Such a being is already extremely powerful, capable of instantly killing an ordinary Deity!'

'Even though the man's official role is my bodyguard, I can't possibly act arrogant.'

'In the Cosmos, strength commands respect. I have to show Hei Xu the respect he's due and can't possibly treat him as a subordinate.'

"Haha, Li Yang, it's no trouble at all," Hei Xu quickly replied, hearing Li Yang's words. He was also very polite.

'Are you kidding me? Just look at Li Yang's Talent. He just passed the twelfth step of the Deities' Path, and his rate of progress is already about to catch up to Hunxu.'

'A genius like this will, at the very least, become a powerful Deity who surpasses me in the future!'

'He might even become an Emperor one day!'

'If that really happens, then by protecting Li Yang now, I'll have a powerful backer in him for the future, thanks to our connection!'

'Protecting a genius like Li Yang is actually a cushy job for a powerful Deity like me. It's the kind of assignment everyone would be fighting over.'

'After all, those in the Divine Realm have eternal life. A mere thousand years is a very short time for me. It might pass in the blink of an eye during a single training or seclusion session.'

Moreover, Hei Xu had also taken the time to learn about Li Yang's personality and character.

Every peerless genius has a different personality and character. Hunxu, for instance, is like a socially awkward teenager who never talks to anyone. Lan Yu is sharp and loves to show off, while Dilunxi is incomparably arrogant, believing no one is his equal.

As for Li Yang, his personality was clearly milder, and he was easy to get along with. Furthermore, he valued his family greatly... 'With a character like that, if I protect him wholeheartedly for these thousand years, Li Yang will definitely take it to heart.'

"Li Yang, are you planning to leave after a while? Or..." Hei Xu asked, looking at Li Yang.

Although one had to leave after breaking through to the Star Lord Realm, Li Yang could still stay for a while—up to a few years, even—to wait for the opportunities arranged by the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall.

Hearing Hei Xu's words, Li Yang said directly, "Let's set off now. First, let's head to the Yangyuan Empire."

'The captured Tianluo and the people back on Earth are waiting for me to return and handle things.'

"Alright," Hei Xu nodded.

With a wave of his right hand, a massive ship appeared.

Looking at the ship, Li Yang thought to himself, 'It's finally time to leave.'

He took a deep breath, a cold glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.

'Tianluo, it's time to settle things between us!'

From his first contact with the Cosmos on Earth until now, after more than forty years, the struggle between him and Tianluo was finally coming to an end.

In his heart, he couldn't wait to kill Tianluo.

WHOOSH!

The ship activated, entered the Space Teleportation Array, and vanished.

...

'Hmm? My main body has left the Saint Hall?'

Within the territory of the Fire Nether Divine Beast clan, after Li Yang departed, his Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar thought to himself.

The Fire Nether Divine Beast clan was located within the domain of the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall, so this avatar of Li Yang was, in effect, still there.

"Flame, this move is performed like this. You try it."

Before Li Yang's Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar, Supreme Elder Zun Lie was instructing him.

Zun Lie, an Emperor, often came to teach Li Yang's Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar.

"Yes, Supreme Elder." Li Yang's Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar nodded and executed the attack.

"Excellent. You comprehended it very well."

Seeing Li Yang's Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar execute it almost perfectly, a smile appeared on Zun Lie's face.

'Haha, the outside world is buzzing about the Human Race's monstrous geniuses, Hunxu and Li Yang, but no one knows that our Fire Nether Divine Beast clan has also produced a peerless genius!' Zun Lie thought with delight.

'Those two, Hunxu and Li Yang, are so conspicuous, known by countless races. The Alien Races want nothing more than to kill them. In reality, their situation is very dangerous.'

'In the history of the Human Race, half of its top one hundred geniuses have fallen before reaching their full potential.'

'The more talented the genius, the higher the chance they'll fall.'

'But our clan's Flame is very low-key. Almost no one knows about him.'

'The more low-key he is, the safer he is.'

'When the day comes that Flame becomes the strongest in our Fire Nether Divine Beast clan...' Zun Lie looked at the young Fire Nether Divine Beast before him, filled with immense anticipation.

'The greatest Talent in the history of our Fire Nether Divine Beast clan... a Talent like this even has a sliver of a chance to contend for the position of Overlord!'

'If he can really do it, our Fire Nether Divine Beast clan could even become independent. Even if we maintain ties with the Human Race, it would be an alliance, not a vassalage.'

...

Li Yang's Fire Nether Divine Beast avatar remained within the territory of the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall, while Li Yang's main body traveled farther and farther away.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

"Li Yang, we've arrived." While Li Yang was cultivating in the energy pool, Hei Xu's voice came from outside.

'Have we arrived?'

Li Yang stood up and briefly sensed his own strength.

'Mid Star Lord Realm.'

In two months, his strength had rapidly advanced to the Mid Star Lord Realm, and he was steadily approaching the Late Star Lord Realm.

...

This was a huge plaza. Upon closer inspection, the plaza was actually an area of a massive palace, and on the plaza was a giant Teleportation Array.

Beside the Teleportation Array stood scores of powerhouses, several hundred in total.

A closer look revealed that among these several hundred people, at least a hundred had reached the Divine Realm. The weakest among the rest were at the World Realm.

This was the largest branch of the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall in the Yangyuan Star Continent, and all these powerful Deities had come to welcome Li Yang.