"Waiting for martial artists from other star fields to enter the Star Boundary?" Liu Xianyun and Feng De were stunned, completely unable to fathom that the reason Yin Lesheng had gone to such lengths — deploying the Underworld Nether Domain Cover to block out the starlight — was simply to linger here for five years.
After all, the Underworld Nether Domain Cover was the supreme treasure of the Underworld Sect. Rumor had it that it had been passed down from the Star Boundary itself, its grade long since surpassing the Void King realm.
Only a sect like the Underworld Sect, which held a lineage even within the Star Boundary, could possess such a heaven-defying treasure. And each time it was activated, the Underworld Nether Domain Cover devoured tens of millions of yin souls.
Liu Xianyun suddenly recalled that five years ago, Yin Lesheng had ventured to a Cultivation Star within the Great Desolation Star Field and slaughtered the inhabitants of over a dozen cities. At the time, it had seemed like a sudden eruption of madness, a loss of all humanity. Now it appeared that it had been done to feed the Underworld Nether Domain Cover.
"Can't figure it out?" Yin Lesheng regarded the two of them with an indifferent gaze.
Liu Xianyun shook her head. "Please enlighten us, Brother Yin."
Yin Lesheng said, "I'm waiting for those Star Lords!"
The moment these words left his mouth, comprehension dawned on both Liu Xianyun and Feng De. Liu Xianyun said, "Could it be true that the Underworld Sect possesses a secret technique for stealing another person's Star Source? That's not just a rumor?"
Yin Lesheng nodded. "Naturally, it's true."
"Then, Brother Yin, you mean to steal someone else's Star Source?"
"No!" A cold glint flashed in Yin Lesheng's eyes. "I already have a Star Source. In the short term, I cannot possess a second one."
"Then why are you—"
"I do have one, but the Underworld Sect in the Star Boundary that I'm heading to still lacks a proper gift. If I can bring such a grand offering along, my prospects after entering the Star Boundary's Underworld Sect will be smooth sailing!"
Only then did Liu Xianyun and Feng De finally understand what Yin Lesheng had been waiting here five years to accomplish.
Though Yin Lesheng reigned virtually supreme within the Great Desolation Star Field, he was, at the end of the day, only a Void King realm cultivator at the third level. Once he entered the Star Boundary, that level of strength was nothing to speak of. The Underworld Sect itself was rife with internal competition, and open and covert struggles among its disciples were an everyday occurrence.
On this journey to the Underworld Sect in the Star Boundary, Yin Lesheng had no patron, no connections. He could only rely on himself.
And Star Lord-level martial artists were his targets.
If he could bring the Underworld Sect a gift of that caliber, who could doubt that he would earn their attention?
For a moment, Liu Xianyun and Feng De couldn't help but admire Yin Lesheng's foresight.
To any Void King realm third-level martial artist, the Star Boundary was a place of endless longing. To spend five full years waiting here spoke volumes about just how resolute Yin Lesheng's will truly was.
The only thing was… if he managed to wait for them, well and good. But if he didn't, the whole effort would be entirely wasted.
After all, remaining in this place, no matter how long, Yin Lesheng's Saint Yuan couldn't break through to the next level — even if he converted every last drop of it into Origin Power. It would be nothing but a pointless waste of time.
"Once I earn the attention of the Underworld Sect in the Star Boundary, cultivation resources will never be lacking. My ascension to the Emperor Realm will be just around the corner. If the two of you follow me, you won't go unrewarded either."
Liu Xianyun and Feng De hurried to express their gratitude.
"Now that you know my plans, stop with the chatter and wait in silence!" Yin Lesheng waved a dismissive hand.
"Yes." Liu Xianyun and Feng De nodded in unison.
After the scene they had just witnessed, neither harbored the slightest thought of resistance. If Yin Lesheng wanted them dead, it would probably take nothing more than a casual wave of his hand. The gulf between them was simply too vast.
Just then, a crisp, clear jingling sound rang out.
Yin Lesheng froze for an instant, then hurriedly unfastened a small bell from his waist. The bell looked utterly unremarkable, yet at this moment it seemed to have been disturbed by something, ringing with a soft but incessant chime.
"Someone's coming!" A sharp light flashed in Yin Lesheng's eyes, and he couldn't help but break into a grin. "Five years of waiting haven't been in vain. I do hope you won't disappoint me too much. Otherwise… heh heh heh…"
His low laughter was grating to the extreme, turning both Liu Xianyun and Feng De deathly pale as they silently mourned for whoever was about to arrive.
No matter how powerful or how high-ranking these newcomers might be in their own star fields, running into Yin Lesheng here meant they were simply cursed with terrible luck.
If Yin Lesheng had managed to find a Star Lord-level martial artist, perhaps he'd grant the others a quick end.
But if not, Liu Xianyun and Feng De were certain those people would soon discover what it truly meant to wish for death. The Underworld Sect's methods of torture were enough to make the entire Great Desolation Star Field tremble.
---
A hundred li ahead, Yang Kai and the others had been traveling without incident.
He didn't know how the others were faring, but the Saint Yuan within his own body was converting to another form at a remarkable pace. That power, intimately connected to his own Origin, felt increasingly natural to wield and ever more devastating in its force.
Still, the speed of the conversion wasn't quite fast enough. He estimated that at this rate, it would take at least another year or two to complete.
The six of them moved in silence.
Suddenly, Yang Kai lifted his head and peered ahead, his brows furrowing deeply.
Faintly, he sensed the presence of living beings somewhere up ahead. But this place had peculiar environmental conditions, and even with the strength of his Divine Sense, he couldn't probe very far. He couldn't be certain of what lay before them.