Virtual Universe, Pantheon Mountain.
Clouds enveloped, and mountain Pinnacles loomed faintly.
As the Virtual Universe System sent out widespread email notifications, the Pantheon Mountain, which was usually closed, opened.
Figures of Human Race experts appeared one after another at the mountainside, and Venerable Eternal Universe, Kedi, was also among them.
"Every time the Race holds a supreme meeting, it means something major has happened."
Kedi gazed at the indistinct mountain Pinnacles, muttering, "I wonder what it is this time."
"Junior Brother."
Just then, Venerable Golden Axe walked to Kedi's side. As he was attending the supreme meeting, he did not carry his iconic golden Huge Axe.
"Senior Brother," Kedi greeted softly.
"The Original Star is opening this time, do you want to be on my team?"
Venerable Golden Axe invited, "My team is composed of veteran High-level Venerables. If you can join, our chances of contending for Heavy Treasure will greatly increase."
"Original Star opening?"
Kedi suddenly understood, feeling a bit emotional inside, "Endless long years have passed…"
As the saying goes, Cultivate knows no years.
After countless years of secluded cultivation and venturing, his strength was already close to that of a Universe Overlord, just one step away from integrating the three profound mysteries of Space Law into one and Breaking Through to become a Universe Master!
But this last step was not easy. There were many Venerables in the Human Race who were only one step away from him, and many were stuck at this final step for countless years.
The closer he got to a Universe Master, the more he could feel the greatness of a Universe Master. And Ender, who could rank among the Pinnacle Universe Master, was an even greater existence whose back he could hardly see!
"The Original Star opening is an opportunity."
Kedi thought to himself, "Fighting against Each race's experts in the Universe will force me to face various Secret techniques, which might inspire me to take that final step!
"Even if I can't take the final step, I can still refine Secret Techniques during the process of killing and fighting, and become a Universe Overlord faster."
The last time the Original Star was about to close, Kedi had entered and experienced its cruelty. It was a struggle more tragic than contending for resources in a Universe Secret Realm!
Such struggles had pros and cons. Many experts perished in the fight for treasures, but many also gained treasures or inspiration to enhance their strength.
There were even experts who gained inspiration during the Original Star battles, ultimately taking the final step and becoming a high and mighty Universe Master!
"I was just thinking of venturing into the Original Star, so I'll join the team you're in, Senior Brother," Kedi agreed.
"With your addition, Junior Brother, our team will surely reap abundant rewards."
Venerable Golden Axe smiled. He knew his Junior Brother's strength, capable of briefly contending with the most ordinary Universe Overlords.
With such an expert joining, their team would have the confidence to face individually acting Universe Overlords when contending for treasures.
Although the interval between each Original Star opening was very long, the opening time was generally fixed. Ancient Universe Venerables who had experienced multiple Original Star openings knew when the Original Star would open.
And this time, when the Race held its highest-level meeting, many Universe Venerables were at the mountainside of the Pantheon Mountain, looking for teammates to venture into the Original Star together.
...
Pantheon Mountain, another mountainside.
A man with long black hair, dressed in white armor, stood on a rock, gazing at the mountain Pinnacles obscured by the ethereal clouds.
A bear-man Venerable, four or five meters tall, wearing dark golden armor, arrived. Looking at the black-haired man's back on the rock, he called out, "Venerable Radiance."
"Venerable Night Bright, what do you need me for?"
Hearing this, the black-haired man turned his head, a pair of black vertical pupils looking at the bear-man Venerable.
This person was none other than the former King Radiant Glory, Arthur Royce (Nineteen)!
"The Original Star is opening this time, and I plan to venture in. Currently, the team includes Venerable Aurora and Venerable Bloodwing."
Bear-man Venerable Night Bright smiled and said, "I wonder if Venerable Radiance is interested in joining us."
Upon hearing this, Nineteen slightly frowned, "Is my teacher also going to the Original Star?"
His teacher, Venerable Aurora, had not been a Universe Venerable for long. Even after joining the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company and being bestowed with treasures, he was still only a mid-level Venerable.
Venturing into a dangerous place like the Original Star carried a high risk of falling for a mid-level Venerable. Even with top-tier Heavy Treasure armor for protection, enduring a single blow from a Universe Overlord would leave them unable to fight again, even if they survived!
"Venerable Aurora actively sought me out," Venerable Night Bright explained.
"Since my teacher is going, I'll join as well," Nineteen agreed, then asked, "Venerable Night Bright, do you know where my teacher is?"
Venerable Night Bright replied, "When I parted ways with him, he went to find Lord of Ganwu."
Nineteen nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Although Lord of Ganwu's treasure configuration was a bit lacking, he was still a High-level Venerable.
Moreover, he was Twelve's teacher, so he wasn't an outsider. He didn't object to his joining the team.
"This time, when venturing into the Original Star, I brought the Divine Power tokens of my teacher Venerable Ling Tu and Senior Martial Uncle Phantom Blood Master."
Venerable Night Bright smiled, "If we encounter a Universe Overlord, we can ask my teacher for help. If a palace or important treasure appears, we can ask Phantom Blood Master to descend."
As someone with a powerful backing, Venerable Night Bright deeply understood the benefits of having Powerhouses behind him, so he specifically requested two Divine Power tokens to carry with him.
With the Divine Power tokens for positioning and the Virtual Universe for rapid message transmission, their chances of encountering danger while venturing into the Original Star were very small.
What's more, Venerable Radiance was famously wealthy, possessing many Arcana Treasures for protection, among which the palace-type Arcana Treasure could even make a Universe Master envious!
Since it could make a Universe Master envious, the defensive capability of that palace-type Arcana Treasure was correspondingly very strong, and ordinary Universe Master couldn't break it.
Thinking of this, Venerable Night Bright looked at Nineteen with envy.
He knew that Senior Martial Uncle Void River Master's treasure refining skills were extremely high. As for how high exactly, he wasn't sure, but he could get a glimpse from the treasures bestowed upon Venerable Radiance.
...
On the other side.
Venerable Aurora and Lord of Ganwu were conversing.
"Venerable Aurora, you're going to venture into the Original Star?"
Lord of Ganwu was quite surprised. Venerable Aurora dared to venture into the Original Star right after his Breakthrough. Wasn't that being too presumptuous?
"I have treasures bestowed by the company for protection. As long as I don't encounter a Universe Overlord, the danger isn't great," Venerable Aurora replied softly.
Upon hearing this, Lord of Ganwu's eyes showed envy.
The Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company was known throughout the Hong Alliance's Universe Venerable circle for its excellent welfare benefits for its Universe Venerables.
Aside from anything else, Venerable Bloodwing's Domain-type Arcana Treasure alone could surpass the net worth of many Universe Overlords.
The newly promoted High-level Venerable Night Bright was rumored to have treasures worth at least top-tier Heavy Treasure, with his entire net worth comparable to a Universe Overlord.
And Venerable Radiance, with his special status, was even wealthy enough to make a Universe Master envious!
If Lord of Ganwu weren't a Country Lord under the jurisdiction of the Virtual Universe Company, he would have wanted to join the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company.
But unfortunately, he missed the opportunity to join the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company. Now, he could only remain in the Virtual Universe Company as a Country Lord, slowly earning contributions and accumulating wealth.
"Currently, my team has confirmed Venerable Night Bright and Venerable Bloodwing."
Venerable Aurora invited, "Are you interested in joining our team to venture into the Original Star together?"
"Inviting me?" Lord of Ganwu was puzzled.
"Yes," Venerable Aurora added, "Venerable Night Bright said he would invite my Disciple, Venerable Radiance." "I'll join!"
Upon hearing this, Lord of Ganwu's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded in agreement.
He had originally planned to accumulate more wealth and wait for the next Original Star opening to venture in.
At that time, he could borrow some treasures from his good friends, and his personal treasure configuration would reach an excellent level, greatly reducing the risk of falling.
But now it was different. By joining Venerable Aurora's team, he could safely return from the Original Star even without borrowing treasures from his good friends.
Because his team had Venerable Radiance!
Who was Venerable Radiance?
He was the younger brother of Void River Master, the second strongest in the Hong Alliance!
He was famously known as the 'Arcana Treasure Venerable' throughout the Hong Alliance's Universe Venerable circle, and his life-saving ability was comparable to that of a Universe Master!
With such an expert on his team, why would he need to worry about safety?
Although many Universe Venerables secretly grumbled, feeling that Void River Master was too doting and had bestowed Venerable Radiance with a body full of precious Arcana Treasures.
But they only dared to grumble privately and absolutely did not dare to say these words openly.
After all, what kind of status did Void River Master have? In terms of strength, he was second only to the Huge Axe Creator, and in terms of status, he was no worse than Primal Chaos City Lord. How could they openly discuss him?
...
Time flowed, and more and more Universe Venerables gathered on the Pantheon Mountain.
Boom...
Heaven and Earth rumbled.
Two dazzling golden gates slowly opened in the clouds of the sky. These two gates had a brilliant starry sky on them.
The place where the supreme meeting was held was within the Pantheon Sanctuary, which floated above the Pantheon Mountain!
"Human Race experts, gather!"
A magnificent voice resounded throughout the entire Heaven and Earth.
Whoosh!
All the Universe Venerables on the Pantheon Mountain instantly disappeared, all teleported into the Pantheon Sanctuary.
Rumble...
The two gates, which illuminated the entire space with golden light, slammed shut!
...
Pantheon Sanctuary, at the highest point.
Above the majestic thrones, Universe Master sat at the highest point, overlooking all Human Race Universe Venerables.
Twenty-two golden thrones, and two black thrones on the main seats, surrounded a huge round table.
The golden thrones were all occupied by majestic figures. Huge Axe Creator sat on the black throne carved with a Huge Axe, while the other was vacant due to Ancestor Yuan being Sealed.
Desolation Master looked at Ender on the first golden throne to his right and smiled, "Void River, I heard that some Universe Venerables are dissatisfied with Venerable Radiance being covered in Arcana Treasures."
Ender did not answer, too lazy to bother.
At this moment, Boya, with long black hair and wearing her iconic fiery red battle suit, coldly said, "If I had family members from my weaker days who could become Universe Venerables, I would also bestow them with many treasures."
"Crimson Demon, the treasures your teacher bestowed are not ordinary."
Desolation Master smiled, "Top-grade High-level flying palace Arcana Treasure, High-level Soul-type Arcana Treasure, High-level Domain-type Arcana Treasure—these treasures can rival the net worth of many Universe Master.
"Not to mention, your teacher also bestowed many resources, allowing Venerable Radiance's strength to grow rapidly. He now possesses the strength of a High-level Venerable."
"So what?"
Boya sneered, "The treasures belong to Teacher, and Teacher can give them to whoever he wants!"
Seeing Boya speak like this, Desolation Master explained, "Don't mind me, I was just expressing my feelings."
As a veteran Universe Master and the leader of a major power, Desolation Master did not want to argue with Boya.
There was no other way, all Universe Master knew that Boya had some issues with her temperament, and they tried their best not to conflict with her, so as to avoid a difficult situation later.
Of course, they also knew that Boya's temperament issues stemmed from her weaker days. Even after her family was revived and she reined herself in somewhat, she still retained a touch of madness.
But in the eyes of the Human Race Universe Master, even Boya with such a temperament was far more reliable than Flame Emperor, the traitor!
Because Ender could keep her in check… the somewhat mad Boya!
"The treasures Void River bestowed upon Venerable Radiance were all refined by him previously and offered to the Race."
Primal Chaos City Lord smiled, "With this back and forth, the Race earned quite a few Arcana Treasure points from it."
"With Void River's treasure refining skills, bestowing some High-level Arcana Treasures is nothing," Peng Gong Master said.
"Universe Venerables should contribute to the Race, not demand from it!"
Star Prison Devil Lord said coldly, "It is a kindness for the Race's experts to bestow treasures, and it is only right not to bestow them.
"Want Arcana Treasures? They can go to the Original Star themselves to fight and contend... If they don't get them, they can only blame their own insufficient strength!"
"One by one, they talk too much, they even dare to discuss Void River!"
"I think the Race is still too lenient with Universe Venerables. Every newly promoted Venerable can obtain Heavy Treasure points, and exchanging treasures from the Treasure Vault of the Race is also very cheap. Why not just cancel these benefits!"
"Is canceling benefits necessary? It's just a few Universe Venerables whispering privately..."
One by one, the Universe Master spoke.
"Alright, there's no need to talk about such trivial matters."
Suddenly, Huge Axe Creator spoke, "If you were Void River, you would probably do the same."
Seeing Huge Axe Creator speak, all Universe Master fell silent, but they largely agreed in their hearts.
Because Venerable Radiance was Ender's younger brother, someone even closer than a Personal Disciple!
It should be known that for someone like Ender, whose family members from his weaker period grew to become Universe Venerables, it was the first such case in the entire Human Race!
Family members who became Universe Venerables needed to fight and contend for resources for the Race, so they naturally needed to be equipped with good treasures to enhance their strength, to avoid being Soul-controlled and perishing permanently.
If it were the other Universe Master present, they would also try their best to bestow good treasures for protection.
If they had Ender's means of refining treasures, they would probably be even more extravagant than Ender, and would even bestow top-tier Heavy Treasure weapons and armor!
Unlike the treasures Ender bestowed, whether it was the High-level flying palace-type, Soul-type, or Domain-type Arcana Treasures, they were mainly for life-saving purposes.
Either defending against physical attacks, or defending against Soul attacks, or sealing off a space-time to buy time and wait for rescue.
In addition to the three High-level Arcana Treasures, Ender also bestowed Nineteen with a High-level Arcana Treasure armor that could grant 1 billion times the power of a Peak World Master.
It was precisely because of this High-level Arcana Treasure armor that Nineteen could possess the combat power of a High-level Venerable.
Huge Axe Creator saw that the Universe Master were quiet, then turned to Primal Chaos City Lord on his left and said, "Primal Chaos City Lord, you still preside over the meeting."
"Okay."
Primal Chaos City Lord nodded upon hearing this, then spoke with a magnificent voice.
...
Pantheon Sanctuary, High-level Venerables area.
Nineteen sat on a 50-meter throne. He couldn't help but look around. All around him were Universe Venerables who had recently become High-level Venerables.
Then, he saw several quite familiar faces...