Chapter 400 157: Divine Kingdom

Risk and opportunity coexist.

With good luck, the rewards could be immense.

With bad luck, death might be the only thing waiting.

'But with my strength, I'd still have a fighting chance, even in the Outer Domain.'

'Even if I get unlucky and run into a True God Level beast, I'd be able to escape.'

'God's Speed and Divine Power are no joke.'

'I've already stacked several Sacred Seeds in my body. The resulting burst of power could seriously injure even a Tier One True God.'

'But right now, I've only got one shot like that.'

'And I only need another fifty billion points of the Source of Life for the next stage of my body's Evolution.'

'Once that Evolution is complete, my power will grow explosively.'

'Combined with my Divine Power, I might even be able to go head-to-head with a True God.'

'It might even be possible to slay a god!'

'The chasm between Level Nine and a True God is immense, but absolute power can shatter any barrier.'

'A mortal body can still slaughter a god!'

'Brute force shatters all techniques!'

"Don't worry. When the time comes, you'll have a dedicated escort. Going to the Outer Domain is just for tempering," the female True God said calmly to Chen Yu.

Chen Yu nodded.

'Having a True God escort would definitely make things much safer.'

'There's no rush. I won't go until after my baptism in the Divine Pool.'

'By then, my strength will have increased.'

'I might even be able to use the power from my body's Evolution to ascend to the True God Level.'

Of course, Chen Yu wasn't getting his hopes up.

'The gap to the True God Level is just too vast.'

'Becoming a True God isn't as easy as it sounds!'

"Senior, I won't be the only one going after the Divine Pool baptism, will I?" Chen Yu asked the female True God.

The female True God replied, "Of course not. The other elites who passed the Divine Hall's assessment will be going as well."

"I see..."

Chen Yu nodded.

...

About an hour later, Chen Yu returned to his room.

Today's conversation had been a real eye-opener.

He'd thought the Stellar Battlefield was dangerous, but compared to the Outer Domain, it was nothing.

The Outer Domain encompassed practically the entire universe.

It was the true battleground where gods vied for supremacy!

'A place like that... I can't miss it.'

'It's perfect for me.'

'Without a place like that, improving in the future would be incredibly difficult.'

Lying on his bed, Chen Yu closed his eyes. His Celestial Destiny Skill began to circulate on its own as he started to rest.

...

「A few days passed in a flash.」

Soon, the assessments for Zhuge Qingtian and the others were over.

However, not everyone passed the Divine Hall's assessment.

Only forty-six elites passed. Including Chen Yu and his group, that made for a total of fifty people.

In total, only three people from Ancestor Star had made it, including Chen Yu.

Dongfang Yao and Zhuge Qingtian.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

In the worst case, one world had only a single Elite Student who passed the assessment.

This was inevitable.

Elimination was a certainty.

The Divine Hall's assessment might not have seemed that difficult to Chen Yu and his group, but for others, it was incredibly challenging.

...

「Inside the Ancient City Manor.」

A crowd had gathered, and Chen Yu, Nangong Ba, and the others were among them.

Three True Gods stood before them.

After sweeping his gaze over the crowd, a middle-aged True God spoke. "Congratulations. You are now official members of the Starry Sky Divine Hall."

As he spoke, the middle-aged True God waved his hand. Streaks of Divine Light shot out, landing precisely in each person's grasp.

Chen Yu looked down. In his hand was a black Token.

The front of the Token bore a symbol—the insignia of the Starry Sky Divine Hall.

The back held their personal information.

"These are your exclusive Starry Sky Tokens. They represent your identity as members of the Divine Hall. Do not lose them."

The middle-aged True God's voice echoed in their ears, and the crowd nodded in understanding.

"A Starry Sky Token..."

Chen Yu examined the Token in his hand. 'It feels like it's forged from some high-grade material.'

'That's not what's important, though. What matters is the status this Token represents.'

'As members of the Starry Sky Divine Hall, we now stand among the highest echelon of the Human Race.'

'But reaching this stage is all about individual strength.'

'If you're not strong enough, you don't qualify.'

'In the end, it all comes down to strength!'

'At this level, even those with S-rank abilities are frequently eliminated, unless they possess a supreme-tier one.'

"Rest for today. First thing tomorrow morning, you will be led to the Divine Pool for your baptism."

The middle-aged True God's voice rang out again.

At these words, a jolt of excitement ran through the crowd.

The Divine Pool baptism!

Everyone present knew what that meant.

A massive opportunity.

It was one of the benefits of becoming a member of the Divine Hall.

Completing the Divine Pool baptism would grant them a huge boost in power.

"Alright, you are dismissed!"

The middle-aged True God spoke, and the crowd, snapping out of their reverie, began to disperse.

Zhuge Qingtian strode over to Chen Yu, his face beaming with excitement.

"Look at you. Didn't disappoint," Chen Yu said, patting Zhuge Qingtian's shoulder.

Zhuge Qingtian grinned. "Brother Yu, I only passed by pure luck. I almost failed, but Lady Luck was on my side and I scraped my way into the Divine Hall."

"Luck is a part of strength. Once you complete the Divine Pool baptism, your power should increase significantly."

Zhuge Qingtian nodded and left with Chen Yu.

「Early the next morning.」

The group had already gathered.

Soon, the same middle-aged True God from before appeared.

He was the senior who would be taking them to the Divine Pool.

"Follow me."

Without any further pleasantries, the middle-aged True God turned and headed out of the manor.

The group followed closely. Soon, they arrived before an ancient structure deep within the Ancient City.

It was an ancient tower.

As they all stepped inside, the entire tower suddenly erupted in a brilliant glow.

A thirty-foot-tall void rift materialized before them.

It resembled the gaping maw of an Abyss, a gateway to an unknown destination.

All eyes were fixed on the void rift. It pulsed with a faint, ghostly light, seemingly powered by some profound energy.

The middle-aged True God addressed the group, "This is the Void Gate. It will take you directly to the Divine Kingdom where the Divine Pool is located."

"Alright, enter one by one. No pushing."

The words broke their trance, and they began to step through the Void Gate one after another.

Soon, it was Chen Yu's turn to step through the Void Gate.

The instant he entered the Void Gate, he felt as if he were jumping through a cosmic wormhole.

A dizzying, world-spinning sensation washed over him.

But Chen Yu was prepared. He quickly suppressed the brief discomfort and looked around. He was in a void of pure Chaos, his body enveloped by a mysterious force that pulled him deeper into the endless expanse.

He had no idea how much time passed—it could have been minutes or hours.

The endless Chaos dissipated, and they found themselves on solid ground in a valley filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

There were green mountains, clear waters, a blue sky, and white clouds.

The air was thick with a powerful concentration of Spiritual Qi.

It was like a paradise.

"So this is the Divine Kingdom of the Divine Pool!?"

Chen Yu glanced around the valley, astonished.

'This is my first time in a Divine Kingdom.'

'Other than the potent Spiritual Qi, it doesn't seem all that different from a normal world.'