Swallowing the Stars: Sacrifice for a Thousandfold Return

Page 8

"A domain lord... and a domain lord with a lot of wealth!"

……

Lu Ming had just returned to his palace on Qiulong Star and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when a gentle yet slightly teasing voice rang out in the hall.

"You've come to my territory and you didn't even bother to greet me first? Lu Ming, have you forgotten who owns this place?"

Lu Ming turned around, a smile appearing on his face.

"Heya, you old codger, you're still so well-informed."

The newcomer was dressed in simple gray casual clothes. He was tall and had a refined appearance, looking like a middle-aged scholar. However, the occasional glint of shrewdness in his deep eyes revealed that he was not as gentle as he appeared.

He is none other than Heya, the planetary lord of Qiulong Star, a powerful figure who has been immersed in the realm of domain lords for hundreds of thousands of years.

The two have known each other for tens of thousands of years and have ventured into the secret realms of the universe side by side many times. They have a life-or-death bond.

"I just finished my business and was planning to go over to your place for a few drinks."

Lu Ming walked forward with a smile.

Heya laughed and patted Lu Ming's shoulder as usual, but his smile faltered slightly as his hand fell, and a look of disbelief and astonishment flashed in his eyes.

He looked Lu Ming up and down carefully, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

"you……"

Hea's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

"The aura emanating from you... a cosmic-level constraint... you've broken through?! A domain lord?!"

Seeing his old friend's shocked expression, Lu Ming felt a pang of emotion and nodded, "Yes, we succeeded by sheer luck."

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

Heya paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter and patted Lu Ming's shoulder hard again.

"I knew it! You old codger, you're tough as nails, you won't give up so easily! Ninety thousand years... and finally you've taken this step! That's great!"

He was genuinely happy for Lu Ming.

He knew all too well how difficult Lu Ming's journey had been, fighting his way out of the slave arena, establishing his family, only to be trapped at the threshold of the Domain Lord for tens of thousands of years, with his lifespan nearing its end.

Now that a breakthrough has been achieved, the world is wide open, how can one not be overjoyed?

The two sat down inside the hall, and Heya, familiar with the place, took out his treasured "Star Tear Wine" and poured it for Lu Ming.

"Tell me, what exactly happened? I remember in your last letter you said the ninth attempt had little hope, how did it succeed so quickly? And..."

Heya took a sip of his drink and stared sharply at Lu Ming.

"I feel that your breakthrough this time is extraordinary. The strength of your life force is not like that of someone who has just entered the first level of Domain Lord."

Lu Ming had already prepared his explanation, and said casually, "Perhaps it was a case of being forced into a life-or-death situation. During the final attempt, I was completely focused, which unexpectedly triggered a stroke of luck, and I managed to successfully condense my life core. As for the aura... it might be related to a special secret technique I obtained in my early years, and the effect after the breakthrough was better than expected."

He couldn't possibly reveal the secrets of the system and the hundredfold gene; it was too important.

Hearing this, Hea did not delve into it further. There are countless adventures in the universe, and everyone has their own secrets.

He exclaimed, "No matter what, breaking through is a tremendous achievement! Lifespan has increased to a million years, and we can now travel side by side in this universe for a long time to come."

"Yes."

Lu Ming raised his glass.

"I'll definitely need to trouble you, the landlord, again in the future."

"Haha, come on!"

Heya drank it all in one gulp.

"By the way, now that you've broken through to the Domain Lord level, what are your plans? Are you going back to be the patriarch of the Lu family and enjoy a peaceful retirement, or do you have other plans?"

Lu Ming put down his wine cup, looked at the endless starry sky outside the hall, and slowly said, "I've stayed in that little pond for ninety thousand years, and I've had enough. Now that I've broken through, I naturally want to go out and see a wider world."

"Join a major power?"

Heya nodded thoughtfully.

"That's a safe choice. With your strength as a domain lord and your background as a giant axe warrior, you should have a wide range of options."

He paused, looked at Lu Ming, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Of course, if you don't mind, how about staying on Qiulong Star to help me? I'll give you 30% of the planet's profits! With you, the newly promoted domain lord, in charge, my Qiulong Star will be more stable."

Lu Ming knew that He Ya's invitation was sincere, but his ambitions lay elsewhere, and he had no intention of joining any major power. He smiled and shook his head in refusal: "You can keep your Dragon Star for your son. I won't get involved. I still want to explore a more central place."

"I knew I couldn't keep you."

Heya didn't press the matter and smiled.

"Very well, a man's ambition lies in all corners of the world. If there's anything I can help with, like an introduction, please don't hesitate to ask."

"must."

Chapter 9 Small Secret Realm

Lu Ming was equally unceremonious.

The two toasted each other, and Heya's treasured "Star Tear Wine" had quite a kick. After a few jugs, even the physique of a Domain Lord felt a little invigorated.

"Tsk tsk, you old rascal, your alcohol tolerance has increased since you broke through to the Domain Lord level!"

Heya watched as Lu Ming calmly downed another cup, and smacked her lips in distress.

"My 'Star Tears Wine' isn't cheap, you've really ripped me off by drinking it all today!"

Lu Ming laughed and was about to speak when the smart computer on He Ya's wrist suddenly emitted a soft but urgent notification sound.

Heya glanced down at the message that popped up on the screen, raised an eyebrow slightly, and showed a strange expression.

Lu Ming downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and casually asked, "What's wrong? Judging from your expression, is something good or troublesome?"

Heya looked up at Lu Ming with a mixture of envy, speechlessness, and amusement, and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "Hey Lu Ming, did you unleash all the luck you've accumulated over 90,000 years when you broke through to the Domain Lord realm? That's some ridiculously good luck!"

Lu Ming was taken aback by what he said, put down his wine glass, and asked in confusion, "What kind of incredible luck? Explain yourself clearly."

Heya turned the screen of the smart computer toward Lu Ming, which displayed a short, encrypted message: "Just received an urgent message from 'Little Sanzi.' He has unexpectedly discovered a small cosmic secret realm on the edge of the 'Dark Cloud Star Belt'! Judging from the energy fluctuations and the stability of the entrance, it seems to be a new, unexplored secret realm!"

He withdrew his wrist, looked at Lu Ming, and said with a hint of emotion, "Tsk tsk, a small new secret realm! Although the risks are unknown, it means that there are likely treasures nurtured by the universe, or even some ancient inheritances! Countless domain lords and world lords would never find such an opportunity! And what happened? As soon as Xiao Sanzi discovered it, he contacted me immediately, and of course, you were involved too. This secret realm appeared on the edge of your Qingyang Empire's sphere of influence, and you just broke through and caught this good thing. What else could it be but pure luck?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's heart stirred. He naturally knew what a cosmic secret realm meant.

It is a synonym for both opportunity and danger.

An unexplored small secret realm might be worth far more than the two weapons and armors he just sold!

Of course, it might not be of any value, just like opening a blind box.

Just then, the cool voice of Lu Ming's intelligent life form, Qingluan, rang in his mind: "Master, an encrypted email has been received from 'Domain Lord Carlos', marked as urgent."

Carlos is the "third son" that Heya mentioned, a lone domain lord who has a good relationship with both Lu Ming and Heya.

Lu Ming and He Ya exchanged a glance, both seeing the meaning in each other's eyes.

as predicted.

Heya laughed, "See? Speak of the devil and he appears. So, Lao Lu, how about we explore this secret realm together? Xiao Sanzi may be slippery, but he's reliable when it comes to these kinds of things."

A glint of light flashed in Lu Ming's eyes. He was just wondering where to find the precious items for the sacrifice, and this secret realm had practically delivered itself right to his doorstep!

"Of course I'm interested."

A slight smile appeared on Lu Ming's lips.

"After so many years of seclusion, my bones are practically rusting. It's time to stretch my limbs."

"Haha, okay! I'll reply to Xiao Sanzi right away and count it as one for both of us!"

Heya seemed quite excited.

"It seems you made the right choice coming to Qiulong Star! Let's go, let's go to my place and talk in detail. Xiao Sanzi should have already sent over the preliminary exploration data."

The two put down their wine glasses, and in a flash, they left Lu Ming's palace and headed towards the planetary lord's mansion.

We arrived at a quiet room deep within the even more magnificent and luxurious lord's mansion in Heyana.

Heya activated the optical computer and projected the encrypted data sent by Carlos.

There isn't much data; it mainly consists of a few video clips and energy spectrum analysis.

The images show a desolate asteroid belt deep within which space exhibits abnormally distorted ripples, with an entrance, roughly 100 meters in diameter and rippling like water, faintly visible.

The energy spectrum shows that the entrance is emanating chaotic yet vibrant cosmic force fluctuations, consistent with the characteristics of a newly born miniature realm.

"Judging from this energy level, the interior space of the secret realm should not be very large, probably only about the size of a star system."

Heya analyzed.

"The energy properties are relatively mild, and the initial assessment is that the danger may not be too high, but no one knows the specific situation inside until they go in."

In his message, Carlos mentioned that his discovery of this secret realm was purely accidental. He was tracking a group of space pirates when he accidentally entered that area and only then did he realize the spatial anomaly.

After a preliminary investigation, he confirmed that the entrance was temporarily stable, so he immediately blocked the news and only notified a few trusted old friends, including Lu Ming and He Ya, as well as two other domain lords with whom he often cooperated.

"Besides us, Xiao Sanzi also called 'Manji' and 'Yingsuo'."

Heya added.

"They are all old buddies who know each other well, are quite capable, and understand the rules."

Lu Ming nodded. He knew Manji and Yingsuo. One was a powerful domain lord, and the other was a ninth-level cosmic-level expert who was good at stealth and reconnaissance. With Carlos, as well as him and Heya, the configuration of this temporary team was reasonable.

"Without further ado."

Looking at the entrance to the secret realm projected on the screen, Lu Ming said decisively.

"We'd better set off immediately."

Heya wholeheartedly agreed: "That's right. The emergence of a cosmic secret realm is like a campfire lit in a dark forest. Although we've temporarily shielded it, over time, the energy fluctuations will spread, making it difficult to hide from powerful detection instruments or passing experts. We must get in and seize the benefits before more people discover it!"

When exploring the universe, opportunities are often fleeting.

If news of the secret realm leaks out and attracts powerful realm lords or even major forces, these domain lords might not even get a taste of the spoils.

"I can leave anytime."

Heya looked at Lu Ming.