Before the Star Tower

Ripples spread through the void, and a blood-red spaceship with sharp, menacing edges appeared in the spaceship's control room.

"Wow!"

Beside Wu Qingfeng, a panda cub jumped excitedly, pointing to the void ahead, "Master, look, look! Star Tower! Wow, what a huge Star Tower! It's nine light-years high! Each tower is bigger than a continent. Even though we're so far away from it, it still feels incredibly big."

As if covering half the universe, the towering and majestic Star Tower floats in the starry sky.

Centered on the Star Tower, the dazzling nebula vortex frantically devoured endless energy. This 'Nine-Spinning Nebula', though seemingly beautiful and radiant, was in reality a nightmare for the powerful; even cosmic venerables who ventured into it were torn apart and annihilated.

"Incredible, truly incredible," Wu Qingfeng murmured, looking at the Star Tower. It was also the first time he had ever seen the Star Tower.

"Why that expression? Didn't the master see its message? Is it necessary to be dumbfounded?" Fatty glanced at Wu Qingfeng and muttered with a pout.

Wu Qingfeng was completely shocked at this moment. The descriptions in the original work and the information queried in the virtual world were just pictures after all, which could not compare to the magnificent and beautiful scene of the real Star Tower.

Even without human control, the Star Tower alone, which absorbs energy to form the Nine-Spinning Nebula, possesses such world-destroying power. This shows that the Star Tower, which is nine light-years high, truly deserves to be called the strongest treasure of the universe and a divine king's treasure!

After several teleportations, they finally reached the outer perimeter of the Star Tower, only to be shocked by the scene before them. Hundreds of thousands of King-level Immortals from the four major factions had gathered around the Star Tower.

"So many?" Wu Qingfeng exclaimed in astonishment. "There are less than three million King-level experts in our Hong Alliance. This is just the Star Tower in the seventh battlefield of the Outer Domain Battlefield. How can there be so many King-level experts gathered here?"

Although he had planned to come to the Star Tower for a long time, he had been busy with preparations and had not learned much about the specific details of the Star Tower.

"Not many." A peak-level Immortal King of the Hongmeng rock-type life form chimed in, "The Hongmeng and the human camp are different concepts. Anyone who joins the Hongmeng is an ironclad ally with humans at the head. In wars large and small, and in various struggles for interests, the races within the Hongmeng are completely bound to the human war machine."

"But the human faction in the extraterritorial battlefield is different... It is an extremely loose faction. The Hong Alliance is just one part of it. There are billions of races in the universe, and the extraterritorial battlefield is the battlefield with the most powerful people. Many races that have nothing to do with the Hong Alliance will also negotiate with humans and then send their people to enter the extraterritorial battlefield as members of the human faction."

"So, although it is said to be a battlefield of the four top races, it is actually a battlefield of countless alien races, and of course, the number of strong people will be ridiculously large."

"The total number of Kings on all the battlefields outside the domain... tsk tsk, even if it's only one percent of all the Kings in the entire universe, it's still terrifying."

"That's one reason."

"Another reason is... the Star Tower is a very special place on the outer battlefield, attracting stronger individuals more easily than other dangerous places," another human King-level cultivator chimed in. "As for the special features of the Star Tower, we can find out by investigating."

"Oh?"

A hint of curiosity flashed in Wu Qingfeng's eyes. He had originally come to enslave experts above the King level, but he hadn't expected the Star Tower to be so attractive.

Wu Qingfeng looked towards the distant Star Tower and ordered Fatty beside him, "Fatty, project information about the Star Tower."

A projection screen appeared out of thin air and connected to the screen on Wu Qingfeng's arm guard, quickly searching for information on the virtual universe network and then clearly displaying the relevant content.

On the projection screen, a majestic nine-story tower appeared. The tower has nine stories and is shaped like a square pyramid, very similar to some towers in China.

Meanwhile, around this majestic nine-story tower, there are endless nebula vortexes, and the colorful nebula vortexes are so mesmerizing that one can't help but be captivated by them.

The Star Tower, nine light-years high, has existed in this space-time since the opening of the extraterrestrial battlefield billions of years ago. For countless years, it has been devouring endless energy in the universe. The surging energy it devoured formed the "Nine-Spinning Nebula"—which looks like a nebula but is actually an incredibly terrifying energy vortex.

The Nine-Spiral Nebula has nine swirls, and the further in you go, the more terrifying the tearing force of the vortexes becomes.

The ancient Star Tower is entirely black, and its material is unknown. Even after the large-scale war between the four dominant races, it remained undamaged. Even the supreme ruler of the universe could not destroy the Star Tower in the slightest.

The Star Tower contains the treasure "Sealed Stars". Each original "Sealed Star" is the size of an ordinary planet. Once refined, it can be used to seal powerful individuals. After defeating an enemy, the enemy can be sealed inside the "Sealed Star" and will never be able to escape.

Such a treasure would be coveted even by a supreme being of the universe.

Within this star tower, which is nine light-years high, countless sealed stars are nurtured, much like "drops of water" in the ocean—these sealed stars are invaluable treasures, yet they are extremely common within the star tower.

Unfortunately, unless the sealed stars are brought into existence on their own initiative, even the most powerful beings in the universe cannot forcibly remove those "sealed stars" from the Star Tower.

The series of messages allowed Wu Qingfeng to gain a detailed understanding of the Star Tower. His previous memories only showed that the Star Tower was a divine king's treasure and also the prized possession of his future disciple, Luo Feng. He had forgotten that for ordinary kings and even invincible kings, this powerful, sealed treasure was the most attractive feature. No wonder so many kings had gathered there!

"I heard that when the super strong people of the four peak clans first discovered this Star Tower, they even launched a super war over it."

A dragon-human hybrid, a peak-level King-ranking expert, said, "Back then, when the four top races opened up the extraterrestrial battlefield, they chose this unfamiliar star field and began to sweep through it. When they suddenly discovered the Star Tower, the Universe Venerables responsible for the sweep discovered the terrifying power of the 'Nine-Spinning Nebula' and realized that their attacks couldn't even budge the Star Tower. They immediately recognized it as an unparalleled treasure. It is said that they immediately summoned super beings like the Universe Lords within their races. To seize this Star Tower, the four top races erupted into a great war, and it is said that many Universe Venerables perished as a result. As for the outcome, it is unknown. All that is known is that even the invincible Universe Lords, who traversed the universe, could not do anything to this Star Tower and could only let it remain in this starry sky for billions of years."

Some people sighed, "The Star Tower is a treasure that even the Lord of the Universe is obsessed with. However, even if such a treasure were left in this starry sky for billions of epochs, no powerful person could forcibly take it away, which is why it has such a great reputation."

"Impressive." Wu Qingfeng exclaimed sincerely, "It seems that this Star Tower is worth exploring." It offers the opportunity to enslave powerful kings and perhaps even obtain a treasure like the Star-Sealing Tower, making it a win-win situation.

"The peak races are the most powerful races in the universe," said the rock-shaped King. "The fact that none of the four peak races could take away this Star Tower has led countless powerful beings in the universe to believe that brute force is useless. This treasure, the Star Tower, may be waiting for a suitable master, or perhaps no one is even qualified to be its master."

"Woof~" The chubby panda came over and rubbed its round body against Wu Qingfeng's arm, its panda face full of curiosity. "Master, master, maybe you're the right master for it!"

Wu Qingfeng smiled, neither denying nor confirming. This was his future apprentice's destined treasure, so he wasn't envious or drooling!

"There are countless rumors, but deep down, all the powerful yearn for the opportunity to become the master of the Star Tower. After all, opportunities are something that cannot be explained or defined." He paused, looking at the powerful figures around him. "Is it because so many powerful individuals have this thought that there are so many kings of various races in the Star Tower?"

"That's right," the Dragonkin King laughed. "Moreover, the Star Tower occasionally produces sealed stars, each a treasure that seals powerful beings, enough to drive the Kings mad. In addition, even the Lord of the Universe cannot destroy this place, so no matter how the battle goes, the Star Tower will not be damaged, naturally making it the most prestigious battleground."

Wu Qingfeng nodded in agreement. There are indeed treasures in the universe that are suitable for the Lord of the Universe to use. Ordinary treasures are not very useful even if the Lord of the Universe uses them. However, most of the treasures that the Lord of the Universe can use in battle are indestructible. It is reasonable that even the Lord of the Universe cannot destroy the Star Tower.

Wu Qingfeng's eyes gleamed with excitement. Whether it was enslaving powerful kings or searching for the sealed star, they needed to act as soon as possible.

He planned to enslave only one soul master above the King level, and then use illusion magic to lower the target's will, so that the soul slaves could enslave some King-level tools to handle miscellaneous tasks, and serve as coordinates for the movement of the original universe's divine kingdom!

After all, soul enslavement takes up space, and having too many would be a burden. In the future, I will mainly enslave those of higher rank and above, and I won't bother with those of lower rank.

Golden light patterns flowed across the virtual terminal. Wu Qingfeng lightly tapped the arm guard with his fingertips, connecting to the bounty platform within the Hongmeng Alliance. He entered the bounty details with a focused gaze. Beside him, the round, chubby creature was lying in front of the control panel, its black grape-like eyes fixed on the screen, curiously wiggling its furry, fat bottom.

"A bounty has been issued for a non-Hongmeng alien race King-level cultivator who is currently located inside the Star Tower and is skilled in invincible immortality through soul-based secret techniques. 1000 billion Hunyuan units will be awarded upon confirmation by the poster." The words were clearly displayed on the top bulletin board of the Hongmeng bounty platform. Accompanied by a push notification from the platform, the message instantly spread to all King-level immortal terminals in the Hongmeng.

The moment this price was announced, the entire Hongmeng's King-level group erupted in an uproar—1000 billion Mixed Yuan Units, that was no small sum.

According to the general situation within the Hongmeng Alliance, the total assets of an ordinary King-level Immortal are only between several billion and tens of billions of Hunyuan. Moreover, these assets are almost all fixed assets such as equipment, spaceships, and cultivation materials. The amount of liquid funds that can be readily accessed is pitifully small.

Even a peak-level King, whose combat power far surpasses that of an ordinary King, might not have enough liquid funds to reach 100 billion Chaos Yuan on a daily basis, as most of it is invested in comprehending the laws and upgrading equipment.

It should be noted that even a high-quality King-level treasure within the Hong Alliance is worth only a few billion Hunyuan. 1000 billion Hunyuan would be enough for a peak King-level Immortal to give up everything, and even have to sell some of their equipment to raise the full amount.

What made the title of king even more appealing was that the requirements for this bounty were extremely simple—simply provide the target's exact location and send a message; there was no need to personally appear, participate in combat, or face any danger whatsoever.

Without having to confront the terrifying invincible King-level power head-on, one can acquire wealth that an ordinary King-level player could hardly accumulate in a lifetime simply by moving a finger.

"My God, 1000 billion Chaos Yuan! Just for a spot?"

"Are you crazy? This price is almost equivalent to the entire fortune of a peak-level King! Even a peak-level King might not have that much liquid capital!"

"The non-Hong Alliance alien races are skilled in soul attacks and are invincible kings, but they have to be inside the Star Tower. These conditions aren't difficult. I happen to be on the outskirts of the Star Tower. I'll go investigate now!" The kings within the Hong Alliance discussed among themselves. Many kings who were wandering near the Star Tower immediately stopped what they were doing and began to search for traces of non-Hong Alliance alien kings in the surrounding area.

After all, such a low-risk, high-return opportunity is extremely rare throughout the entire history of Hongmeng.

In front of the control panel, a chubby, round paw patted the screen, muttering in a childish voice, "Master, Master, you're too generous! 1000 billion Chaos Yuan! An ordinary King couldn't earn that in a lifetime, right?"

Wu Qingfeng rubbed his chubby head, a faint smile playing on his lips. He gazed at the majestic Star Tower outside the window, his tone calm yet resolute: "To quickly find the invincible kings outside the Hong Alliance, a high price is the most effective method. These kings are driven by self-interest; a risk-free, high-return offer will motivate them to do everything in their power to find our target."

He had already clearly planned in his mind that enslaving the invincible king was the core objective of this trip to the Star Tower, and the ultimate goal was to become a king-level expert.

Instead of spending a lot of time searching in the vast Star Tower, it's better to use the power of the Kings of the Hong Alliance to exchange 1000 billion Hunyuan for a precise location, which will save time and avoid unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, given his current resources, 1000 billion Hunyuan is just a drop in the ocean. Compared to the convenience brought by enslaving and becoming an invincible king, this investment is entirely worthwhile.

On the virtual terminal, King-level beings had already begun sending out reconnaissance messages. Wu Qingfeng glanced at them indifferently, tapped his finger, and instructed Fatty, "Pay attention to all messages, filter out the precise location information, and once it is confirmed that it is not a King-level being from the Hong Alliance, notify me immediately."

"Got it, got it!" Fatty nodded quickly, his two little paws swiping rapidly across the terminal, his round face full of seriousness. "I'll definitely find the most suitable target for Master!"

Wu Qingfeng leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on his body, simultaneously comprehending the laws of fire and space fusion and awaiting feedback on the bounty. He knew very well that, tempted by the 1000 billion Chaos Yuan, precise location information would soon arrive. At that time, he would be able to easily take down the target with his own combat power and complete his plan to enslave and crown the invincible king.