Beyond the Blue Planet, in outer space, a smiling Xie Chen greeted the black-haired youth who casually rose through the atmosphere. "Chen Chu, you've emerged from seclusion."

"Xie Chen, why are you here?" Chen Chu was slightly surprised.

According to the arrangements, everyone departing was supposed to be waiting on the other side. With Xie Chen's decades of guarding the Blue Planet, his contribution alone should have guaranteed him a spot in the first batch.

However, Xie Chen only shook his head with a genial smile. "I am but old bones. This time, I won't join the bustle. Better to leave the opportunity for those younger and more promising. Once they return with breakthroughs, I'll take a turn to go exploring."

Of course, those were just polite words.

Chen Chu slowly said, "Truthfully, one more or less king won't change the Federation's current situation much. If you came along this time, Sir, you could already be an ancient-titan-level supreme powerhouse when you return."

"Hehe... It's fine, Chen Chu. I'm still young. A few years earlier or later makes little difference." Xie Chen laughed.

Indeed, at only sixty or seventy, he was still quite young for a king whose lifespan was measured in millennia. Seeing his mind was already made up, Chen Chu didn't press further. He gave a brief greeting and then stepped into the passage, vanishing without a ripple.

Gazing at the utterly calm golden vortex, Xie Chen unconsciously drew a deep breath, his eyes alight with expectation.

With Chen Chu's talent, he could very well already stand at the level of a true emperor when he returned. At that time, their place would truly be worthy of being called the seventh divine region.

Boom!

In the mythical world, a golden divine tree, its phantom spanning more than a hundred thousand kilometers, blazed with light. From its trunk, which resembled a vast passage, a figure slowly emerged.

"Greetings to the Divine Might Emperor!"

The instant Chen Chu appeared, thunderous shouts echoed like a tidal wave. Atop a black battleship, stretching over a hundred kilometers and shaped like a great Luan,[1] tens of thousands of fervent gazes turned toward him.

The battleship was Shi Feitong's vessel, and the tens of thousands of advanced cultivators aboard had been carefully chosen to journey to the Flamewheel Divine Region as staff. Their task was to use the super-celestial computers they carried to study and analyze the Flamewheel Dynasty's knowledge: astronomy and geography, power systems, inheritances, surrounding civilizations, unique abilities, along with the compiled records of mutated beasts, colossal beasts, and outer heavens data gathered over the years.

Aside from these, of more than forty human kings, thirty-one were dispatched, along with eight of the eleven heavenly kings. The supreme powerhouses—the Primordial King, the Celestial King, and Zhenwu—all prepared to go, joined by half of the forces of the Heavenly Feathered Race and Faeries.

In contrast, the Alliance of Gods sent few. Its only ancient-titan-level powerhouse, Tarodell, had entered seclusion for the final push to break through to the true spirit level. Of its three chief gods, only one would depart.

While Chen Chu acknowledged those aboard the battleship with a slight nod, Zhenwu flew over and handed him a crystalline chip. "Chen Chu, this is the list of those accompanying us to the Flamewheel Divine Region. See if there's anyone who should be adjusted or added."

"I'll take a look." Chen Chu accepted the chip, sweeping it with his spiritual intent. Instantly, tens of thousands of names, along with notes on why each had been selected, appeared before him. Among them were many familiar names.

The sisters Lin Yu and Lin Xue, who had already broken through to the Eighth Heavenly Realm, were included, their notes citing their high ranking in talent among the younger generation. Moreover, since they inherited the legacy of the ancient Ghostflame Heavenly Consort, they could gain further fortune upon arrival should that ancient monarch still be alive.

The note for Xia Youhui, also at the Eighth Heavenly Realm, likewise cited that he had obtained an ancient inheritance, granting him a chance at fortune within the divine regions.

Other names included Yan Ruoyi, Li Daoyi, Ji Wuji, Bardas, Xia Youhui, and Xia Zuo. During Chen Chu's two months in seclusion, Li Daoyi had already broken through to the level of a mythical king, while Ji Wuji and Bardas had both reached the peak of the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

Then Chen Chu's eyes froze upon one particular name. Li Hao.

After his failure of a boast during the first-year opening ceremony, this fellow had re-entered the mythical world and vanished on an exploration mission, leaving no trace. He had missed even the two great battles against the Purgatory Demon Clan. Yet now, he reappeared, his cultivation already at the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm. His note likewise recorded that he had gained an ancient inheritance, with extraordinary talent. It turned out that he had been trapped within an ancient ruin until breaking through recently, finally forcing his way out.

"This guy's luck was actually quite good."

Back in Nantian Martial Arts High School, Li Hao had ranked third among the students, beneath only Chen Chu and An Fuqing. Yet across the entire southern region, his talent could only be considered above average. However, relying on a will as frenzied as a demon's, he had fought countless battles, again and again breaking his limits through insights gained on the edge of death, and constantly pushing forward.

Then, in one of the ruins in the Alliance of Gods, he had accidentally obtained an ancient inheritance, and his cultivation caught up directly to Ji Wuji's. Now, after shutting himself in seclusion for months within another ruin, he had emerged at the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, placing him among the very first tier of geniuses in his generation, second only to Ji Wuji and Bardas.

Yet when Chen Chu finished reviewing the roster, his brow furrowed in puzzlement as he turned to Zhenwu. "Sir, why don't I see Ah Hu's name?"

Chen Hu's talent was unquestionable. Even without Chen Chu's connections, he should have been among the first chosen for this expedition, but his name wasn't on the list.

Zhenwu wryly smiled. "...Chen Hu's current state is rather special."

"He ran into trouble?" Chen Chu's brows tightened. Could it really be as he feared? That shouldn't be possible. As brothers bound by blood, had anything truly happened to Chen Hu, he would have sensed it at once.

Shaking his head, Zhenwu sighed. "Not trouble. Rather, he gained a tremendous fortune. Chen Chu, you know of the ancient ruin left by the Alliance of Gods, don't you?"

"I do. Ah Hu went there?" Chen Chu was certainly familiar with that vast ancient ruin, spanning millions of kilometers. Even ancient-titan-level powerhouses had never been able to fully explore it.

The Sky-Suppressing War King Hong Zhantian had gained his inheritance there, attaining strength to match great demon kings while still at the mythical level. In addition, Xiao Tianyi's betrayal had also stemmed from encountering Tyretis in that same ruin years ago.

Zhenwu said, "A month ago, after reaching the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, Chen Hu learned of that ruin and set out, hoping to find an opportunity to break through to the mythical level early. Unexpectedly, he truly stumbled upon a fortune. It's the most ancient core temple of that ruin, unopened for tens of thousands of years. When Chen Hu triggered a restrictive barrier and was about to be trapped, he was instantly transported into a divine palace that had surfaced from the depths of time and space. Qingqiu Tianyao, who had been following, tried to intervene, but was stopped by the First Councilor deep within the void.

"He is currently guarding that ruin, and asked me to tell you not to worry. Chen Hu is fine and is receiving the inheritance of the ruins. As for himself, he has found other discoveries deeper in the void to study, so he won't be traveling with us to the divine region. He will instead watch over the mythical world."

"Ah Hu actually triggered the inheritance of that ancient ruin!" Chen Chu's eyes narrowed slightly, surprised by the outcome.

He had once suspected that Chen Hu was truly the final Child of Fate born of the Blue Planet's dying destiny. Had Chen Chu not awakened his memories, the colossal beast body, and the attribute page, then it should have been Chen Hu who led humanity to rise.

The demon god Constantine once speculated that Chen Chu was potentially the reincarnation of a strand of origin from the primordial colossal beast which had fallen long ago in humanity's lands. Chen Chu himself had entertained the thought, but in his heart he believed that person should have been Chen Hu.

The fortune of a mere Child of Fate, born in the Blue Planet's end, would never have been enough to support Chen Hu's defiant luck and staggering speed of growth. His path had always been that of one favored by destiny. Yet, it seemed his true fortune lay within that ancient ruin.

"Since Qian Tian said he's safe, then let him be." Chen Chu nodded. Perhaps Chen Hu being caught within the ancient ruin was itself a sign that his path was not with the ancient humans, but with another destiny altogether. "Let's go. Time to leave."

On the battleship's colossal bridge, towering like a mountain, Shi Feitong smiled faintly as she watched Chen Chu descend.

Shriek!

A piercing cry rang out, bright and commanding, like a true Luan awakening. The massive black battleship rumbled as it moved, rippling space with waves of black halos before shooting away. In the blink of an eye, the black Luan became a streak of dark rainbow light, vanishing a hundred thousand kilometers away at terrifying speed. Along the ship's edge, tens of thousands of human cultivators looked back at the shrinking land, their faces a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and dazed wonder.

This departure meant they would likely not return for a very long time. After all, the journey from the Human Federation to the divine region was vast. Even with a true spirit leading the way and maps at hand, it was going to take over two months. Without a true spirit's guidance, even mythical kings could take over a decade. ​​Partly, it was due to differences in speed, but more importantly, many forbidden zones existed along the way that mythical kings couldn't cross.

The very moment Chen Chu and the others set off, many across the worlds felt it. In the Alliance of Gods, within the towering golden divine palace, Tarodell, who was preparing to break through to the true spirit spirit, lifted its head. The third eye at its brow glowed with golden light as it looked toward the departing group.

On the Blue Planet itself, atop the blazing surface of the sun, a two-hundred-thousand-meter mech stood tall, its azure gaze piercing through the world and silently looking in the fading battleship's direction.

At No.1's feet stood a divine bird, a thousand meters long, its body covered in golden feathers. Though newly born and still in its juvenile stage, it already radiated a mythical-level aura. Clearly, it was an innate lifeform.

1. Also known as the Luanniao, the Luan was a mythical bird that was considered an omen of peace. It was similar to, and sometimes confused with, the Fenghuang, which symbolized the celestial bodies and the fusion of yin and yang. ☜

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