"Kill!"
Battle cries erupted across the void, mixing with the spray of blood and the screech of tearing metal. Fragments of armor and shattered weapons drifted through the darkness like deadly snow.
On the extraterritorial battlefield, humanity's warriors clashed against the demon race in yet another endless skirmish.
This was Han Jue's final stop on his journey through human territory.
Watching the cosmic-level armies tear into each other below, their World Master commanders barking orders from fortified positions, Han Jue shook his head.
"Master, let me handle this!" Rimuru chirped from where it nestled in Han Jue's arms, its translucent blue form rippling with eagerness.
Though only at peak King-level power, Rimuru felt no pressure dealing with these armies. After all, even Invincible Kings couldn't scratch its body, not when it had fused with Soul-Gathering Gold, granting it the defensive capabilities of a powerful treasure.
Han Jue gave a slight nod.
Rimuru struck.
Invisible energy cascaded across the battlefield like a tidal wave. The demon soldiers froze mid-charge, their eyes glazing over as if time itself had stopped. Anyone with sufficient soul perception would realize the truth, their souls had been directly annihilated, leaving nothing but empty husks.
"What happened?"
"An Immortal! An Immortal has intervened!"
The World Master leading the human forces immediately sensed the anomaly. He looked around wildly, excitement and confusion warring on his face, but couldn't locate the benefactor who'd saved his troops.
"Let's go," Han Jue said quietly.
On the extraterritorial battlefield, Immortals weren't supposed to massacre weaker armies, but nobody enforced the rule too strictly. A casual strike while passing through? That happened all the time. Not just from humans, either. Immortals from every race did the same when convenient.
Rimuru bobbed happily and settled back into Han Jue's arms.
Now, it had been 50,450 years since Han Jue began his cosmic journey.
Ganwu Universe Kingdom alone had taken a hundred years to truly explore. The other 1,007 universe kingdoms averaged fifty years each as Han Jue's footprints covered every corner of human territory. He'd witnessed cosmic wonders that defied description, nebulae that sang in harmonies of stellar wind, gravity wells that bent space into impossible geometries, civilizations that had flourished and fallen without humanity ever knowing they existed.
Seeing so much had changed him. Given him perspective. Different insights that couldn't be quantified but ran deeper than any law comprehension.
"Master, where to next?" Rimuru asked, its voice carrying genuine curiosity.
Having explored all of humanity's territory, should they venture into alien space?
Han Jue considered the question carefully.
Currently, relying on the Holy Flame Palace, a palace-type treasure, along with the top-tier treasure Primordial Universe Model and his own strength, he could face any Universe Master below third-tier rank within the Primordial Universe without fear. But rashly entering the territories of other peak races? That was asking for death.
Walking into their lairs to provoke them, even the Giant Axe Founder couldn't save him from that stupidity. Unless the Primal Ancestor returned, nothing would.
Originally, Han Jue had planned to visit the Prison Clan and Crystal Clan territories. After thinking it through, he'd abandoned the idea.
Those two peak races seemed peaceful, but only because their territories were remote, far from the four major peak powers' spheres of influence. If Han Jue showed up there, their strongest wouldn't hesitate to sell him to the Insect Race or Monster Race for the right price.
The universe contained more than just the six major peak races, though. Many other powers existed, some weak, some formidable.
Han Jue had decided to visit the territories of humanity's affiliated races within the Hong Alliance instead.
"By the way, Master," Rimuru said, its form brightening slightly. "This year's Genius Battle has begun. That Earthling you asked me to monitor is participating."
"Oh?" Han Jue's interest sharpened.
The Black Dragon Mountain Star Region, now renamed the Huaxia Star Region after Earth's rise to prominence, had become a sacred ground for cultivating mental discipline. It had nurtured countless soul geniuses. Perhaps none could match Hong or Lei Shen, certainly not Han Jue or Luo Feng, but they still far surpassed most alien cultivators.
Earthlings weren't just improving their innate soul talents anymore. Their physical and law comprehension talents were gradually rising too, generation by generation. Some theorized it was because Earth's special nature as a miniature universe seed was finally influencing its children.
This improvement had naturally given rise to many exceptional talents.
Following Han Jue's generation, Earth had produced numerous genius World Masters. Though no Immortals had emerged yet, these World Masters all possessed the potential to reach immortality. Having cultivated for only a few epochs, there was no rush.
Among them, the young man Han Jue had specifically instructed Rimuru to monitor was a member of this Huaxia Star Region.
His name was Su Mu. Only a little over a hundred years old, he'd already passed the Mind Cultivation Tower located in Earth's sacred lands while still at the Planetary level, a feat that suggested he possessed a mental state similar to Hong's third-level comprehension.
Passing the Mind Cultivation Tower at Planetary level made him arguably the greatest genius Earth had produced since humanity left their homeworld. Naturally, he'd attracted attention from many powerful figures. High-ranking officials and even Venerables from the Virtual Universe Company had personally expressed their desire to take him as a disciple.
He'd refused them all.
According to Su Mu, he wanted to become an apprentice of Earth's legend, Han Jue himself.
When those cosmic Venerables learned this, they could only reluctantly back down. Han Jue possessed the strength of a top-tier Universe Overlord. Before Universe Masters intervened, the cosmic Venerables simply weren't qualified to compete for disciples against him.
That was why Han Jue had noticed this young man.
"Let's take a look," Han Jue said, diverting a wisp of consciousness into the virtual universe.
This year's Genius Battle was being hosted by the Virtual Universe Company, as always.
Or rather, having witnessed Han Jue's meteoric rise to power, some of his most devoted fans would only participate in the Virtual Universe Company's competition. If they couldn't get a spot there, they'd try to break through to World Master and enter through the Cultivation Tower instead.
Su Mu happened to be one of Han Jue's most ardent admirers.
"Junior Brother!"
"Senior Brother Lan Song." Han Jue materialized with a smile.
This year's Genius Battle was being hosted by Venerable Lan Song, a competent administrator who'd risen through the Virtual Universe Company's ranks over the past few millennia. Like the previous Nine Swords Venerable, barring unforeseen circumstances, this batch of geniuses would become Venerable Lan Song's future subordinates, unless they were taken as disciples by some cosmic Venerables or higher-level beings.
"So, who do you think will claim first place?" Venerable Lan Song chuckled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "While this year's crop isn't quite at your level, it's still the second-best showing in nearly ten thousand epochs. A true gathering of prodigies."
"Su Mu, obviously." Han Jue replied with confidence.
Su Mu's talent for law comprehension wasn't particularly outstanding by the standards of peak geniuses. So he'd followed the path of a mentalist and illusionist instead, maximizing the advantage of his extraordinarily powerful soul. His willpower already matched that of a World Master General, and though his consciousness was somewhat weaker, it still overwhelmed every other genius in the competition.
In Han Jue's assessment, none of these geniuses could withstand Su Mu's illusions, not for long, anyway.
Venerable Lan Song nodded thoughtfully. "Su Mu is indeed formidable. He dominated his universe kingdom's preliminaries, nearly a landslide victory. This time, the only one who can truly compete with him is a genius extraordinarily skilled in the fundamental Law of Space."
"Let's wait and see," Han Jue said with a mysterious smile. "What if someone's holding back their true strength?"
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