Swallowed Star Chapter 946: Three Paths

"Then what about the guarding beast god palaces?" Luo Feng couldn't help asking.

"Guarding beast gods are the ones who gain the complete beast god inheritance and have become masters of the universe," the knight explained. "They didn't become actually beast gods either because there were no vacancies, or they themselves didn't want to inherit the positions in the first place. After all, your power can be significantly improved after inheriting the position, but that's the end of it."

"Masters of the universe are the greatest and mightiest beings in the universe, no matter where they are," the knight continued. "The ancestral god school will respect their will and make them 'guarding beast gods' even if they don't want to inherit the positions."

Both Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor nodded. There was no such thing as a free meal, and everything came at a price. The ancestral god school wouldn't give resources away without being paid back. For those who had enough potential, the school didn't care for returns, whereas for those who could gain a complete inheritance, the school would demand something back.

"Rest assured." The knight smiled. "The ancestral god school is arguably the freest power in the universe, and it has no intention of fighting for other territories. The dangers in the secret region are enough to intimidate other powers. Even if you become the sub-members of the school, you won't feel restricted." The knight shook his head. "Of course, it all means nothing if you can't even become a sub-member in the first place, which is difficult to begin with. No matter which path you're following—prophet inheritance, general inheritance or beast god inheritance—they're all highly demanding!"

Luo Feng listened carefully and nodded. None of the hundreds of thousands of creatures in the land of demon-note deified general inheritance managed to get the complete inheritance. However, the land accepted 32 creatures for every 10,081 eras, and the creatures there only tried for 50 million eras, which was a blink of an eye compared to the history of the universe.

"The owner of Bauhinia Island is a guarding beast god." The knight looked at the towering palace.

"Guarding beast god?" Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor followed him.

There were quite a few sculptures on that palace. Some were like lizards, some were like roaring apes, and some were like birds. Although there were tens of thousands of sculptures, they could all be classified into eight categories. Luo Feng understood them to be the images of the beast gods.

In front of the palace of the island's owner was an enormous square, which was a section of a mountain. There were three flowing springs on the spectacular square, with their water coming seemingly from out of nowhere. However, the ground on the square was not wet at all.

The knight, Luo Feng, and True Yan Emperor walked to the springs and looked at the door of the palace.

"Get inside," the knight said. "My job is done here. I hope you can live longer on the island instead of falling, as you won't be able to come back with another token. I bet few races will give you a token twice."

"Thank you, knight." Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor appreciated the knight's instruction.

The knight smiled and flew into the auroras like a beam of light.

"Let's go, student." True Yan Emperor smiled.

"Sure."

Inside sat a human wearing a simple black cape. He had long blue hair and blue engravings. A dimming force was emanating from him, reserved yet terrifying. Luo Feng felt he must be at least a universe knight.

"A human?" Luo Feng was startled. "Is he the guarding beast god?"

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor exchanged a glance. The guarding beast god was a human?

The man stood up, looked at them, and smiled. "I didn't expect to see humans here. How wonderful. You guys can stop guessing, I'm only a servant of the island owner instead of a guarding beast god. My job is to guard the palace and message the island owner."

"A servant?" Both Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor missed a heartbeat. A soul slave of a universe knight level? And he was a human?

Of course, thought Luo Feng. If I can enslave the barbarian races, then the barbarian races can enslave humans, too. Besides, guarding beast gods are masters of the universe. It's not surprising for them to have a universe-knight level slave.

Luo Feng could only console himself in this manner.

True Yan Emperor looked at the black-caped man and said, "We're the new heirs and are here to greet the guarding beast god."

The man smiled. "You just wait here. I've already passed the message to the guarding beast god, but he's currently busy. Please be patient."

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor gave each other a look.

Let's just wait.

They could only wait for the guarding beast god.

******

After half a day of waiting, both Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor were tired out. Luo Feng asked, "When will the guarding beast god arrive?"

"Be patient," the man said with another smile. "The issues the guarding beast god is dealing with are much more important, and you guys are not in a rush. According to the rules of the ancestral god school, it will take the ancestral god ten years to show up. If the guarding beast gods know they can't make it in ten years, other guarding beast gods will take over."

"Ten years?"

"It ranges from an instant to ten years," said the sitting man. "The unluckiest guests I received in the past waited for three days shy of ten years. So, please sit down and be patient. Just wait!"

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor sat down without knowing when they could meet the island owner.

******

After twelve days.

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor sat on the courtyard of the palace with their eyes closed. Suddenly, they felt an almighty force surrounding the palace. They both opened their eyes instantly.

"It's the guarding beast god."

They both stood up, and the knight was already inside the main hall.

They heard a high voice from the hall say, "Come in."

They both went in, and Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor saw a figure on the throne. It was a special life form in dragon-shape. It possessed wings and strange armor on its body and looked down upon them. There were tongues of flames on the armor, which made Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor feel like they were being engulfed in fire and the special creature was the controller of space. The dragon could kill them with a snap of its fingers.

Guarding beast god, Luo Feng thought to himself. It should be following the path of fire, space.

"From now on, you're the heirs of Bauhinia Island," the guarding beast god said. "First of all, I'll grant you access to the world of glory."

Two mini-quantum computers appeared after it finished talking, and they flew to Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor.

"This is the receiver of the virtual world," said the guarding beast god. "The world of glory is the virtual universe of the ancestral god school, and it's akin to humans' virtual universe. Although it's much smaller, they have similar functions. You'll know when you land on it."

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor took the receivers.

"I'll also grant you the access to the land of inheritance, the land of treasures, and the land of the secret region," the guarding beast god said. "Did you see the three water curtains outside?"

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor nodded. Water curtains? Weren't those springs?

"That's the portal," the guarding beast god continued. "It's impossible for you to get in without my permission. The one on the left is the portal to the land of inheritance, the one in the middle is to the land of treasures, and the one on the right is to the land of the secret region. Three water curtains are portals to three different places. The land of inheritance is where you accept the beast god inheritance, and you'll be tested how much you understand the laws.

"In the land of treasures are buried all the valuables left by the beast gods, guarding beast gods, and the powerful ones following the path of beast gods. There are a plethora of valuables there, and the seniors placed lots of barriers, restrictions, and requirements. Only if you satisfy the requirements of the seniors can you take treasures there. Not long ago, one of your humans gained a treasure.

"As for the land of the secret region, you can go there for adventures. The secret region of the ancestral god school is the most mysterious secret region in the universe, where reside the most special creatures and the most mystical riches. There are natural and crafted treasures alike. However, it's also the most menacing secret region, and the closer you get to the land of treasures, the more dangers there will be. Even universe knights can be killed, and even masters of the universe can be trapped. Prepare to die if you decide to adventure there."

"The land of inheritance, the land of treasures, and the land of the secret region, together with the world of glory, are the four places you need to be familiar with. Go build a palace first, and then go to the land of inheritance." The guarding beast god looked down on them. "Go."

"Yes, island owner," they said.

Luo Feng and True Yan Emperor saluted it before exiting.