Chapter 1051: Chrysalis Fusion Monarch

The majestic Jiang Shen Mountain pierced deep into the clouds.

At its foot knelt hundreds of powerful beings from various races. Luo Feng recognized that about a third of them were already Cosmic Sovereigns, while the rest were Immortal-level experts.

“Nearly two hundred Cosmic Sovereigns kneeling here,” Luo Feng mused inwardly. “The ability to forge treasures truly has immense allure.”

“Hey, why aren’t you kneeling too?” Bonisha hovered beside Luo Feng, looking at him in confusion.

“I only said I wanted to learn,” Luo Feng smiled, glancing down at Bonisha. “Of course I want to learn the techniques of the legendary Master Jiang Shen, but I’m not confident enough. I’m mostly just curious… so I came to take a look.”

“They’re here hoping for luck too,” Bonisha pointed toward the distant kneeling figures. “Out of more than five hundred, maybe two or three will be accepted as disciples.”

Luo Feng nodded silently.

“I won’t stay with you. I’m going to visit my friends,” Bonisha circled Luo Feng once before flying toward a deep blue building in the distance.

…

Luo Feng gazed up at the towering Jiang Shen Mountain and began walking toward it.

“So many alien races,” Luo Feng glanced at the various architectural styles of the buildings nearby. These ancient structures had been built by previous visitors from other races who had come to pay respects to Master Jiang Shen. Most were now empty, but some still housed alien experts.

“They must be here seeking treasures,” Luo Feng thought.

“The fourth black metal tablet is on Jiang Shen Mountain. Master Jiang Shen himself resides there. With his power, how could I ever obtain the fourth tablet? Even if I managed to steal it, Master Jiang Shen controls space and time and could easily capture me,” Luo Feng looked up at the mountain. “How can I get it?”

As he pondered, Luo Feng arrived at the foot of the mountain.

“Stop!”

“Sir, please stop!” a deep voice and a crisp voice called out simultaneously.

Luo Feng turned his head.

Among the more than five hundred kneeling Cosmic Sovereigns and Immortal-level experts, dozens looked toward him. One being with four legs, a human torso, and over three hundred meters tall turned to Luo Feng. Its three golden eyes stared at him as it spoke crisply, “Sir, Jiang Shen Mountain is where Master Jiang Shen and his disciples reside. Without Master Jiang Shen’s permission, no one else may enter the mountain. To do so would be disrespectful to Master Jiang Shen.”

“Oh,” Luo Feng smiled. “Thanks, I was just lost in thought.”

“Are you here to become Master Jiang Shen’s disciple too?” the alien looked down at Luo Feng, towering over him despite being in a kneeling position.

“I’m just curious. If there’s a chance, I’ll certainly try,” Luo Feng replied, secretly wondering what kind of life form this Sovereign was. From his memories, he couldn’t recall any race matching this alien.

“Exactly, one must never give up hope,” the golden-eyed Sovereign said. “Before coming here, I was confident in my ability to forge ordinary heavy treasures. But now I realize I’m far behind the top weapon-forging geniuses from across the universe. Look at that immortal from the Yao Clan over there. He’s only an immortal but can already forge ordinary heavy treasures. His chances of being accepted as Master Jiang Shen’s disciple are much higher than mine.”

Luo Feng looked in surprise at the golden-furred ape-like creature kneeling nearby. Its aura was weaker, likely at the Immortal level.

“An immortal forging ordinary heavy treasures?” Luo Feng blinked.

“Truly, geniuses are everywhere,” he mused inwardly.

The golden-eyed Sovereign sighed, “Back in my ancestral secret realm, I was revered as a master blacksmith, but coming here I realized how far I still have to go. Though special life forms like us are powerful, we don’t necessarily have an advantage in forging weapons. Look at these immortal aliens. They’ve only reached the Immortal level but were brought here to the Jiang Shen Star in the Yin Fa Secret Realm. They must have some ability to dare come here. Most of these hundreds of immortals can probably forge pseudo-heavy treasures already.”

“Pseudo-heavy treasures?” Luo Feng wondered inwardly what level that referred to. It seemed to be a term used internally among master blacksmiths, something an outsider like himself wouldn’t understand.

“Good thing I didn’t try to become a disciple,” Luo Feng thought. “If I had, it would have been embarrassing.”

“You should give it a try too,” the golden-eyed Sovereign smiled. “Master Jiang Shen has very strict criteria for accepting disciples. It’s not just about talent, but many other factors as well. If your talent in forging weapons isn’t bad and you can forge pseudo-heavy treasures… you might get lucky and become Master Jiang Shen’s disciple. Look at me, I’ve kept trying persistently.”

“I’m just curious, really just curious,” Luo Feng quickly replied.

…

Luo Feng immediately distanced himself from the group of over 500 kneeling alien weapon-forging prodigies who were earnestly seeking apprenticeship, setting up a simple courtyard for himself at the foot of the mountain.

“Weapon forging?”

“Pfft.”

“Forget about forging pseudo-heavy treasures, I can’t even make a decent weapon. Back when I modified the Yimo Star spaceship and inscribed secret patterns, I had to ask personnel from the Virtual Universe Company for help,” Luo Feng shook his head inwardly. He was purely an outsider, completely clueless about this craft. Standing among these prodigies from all corners of the universe, Luo Feng felt somewhat ashamed.

Standing at the courtyard entrance, Luo Feng looked at the distant kneeling figures of over 500 aliens and then up at the towering Jiang Shen Mountain. “Originally I planned to go up with the other applicants seeking apprenticeship, sneak into Jiang Shen Mountain, and then slowly figure out how to take the black metal tablet. But now it seems—no one except Master Jiang Shen and his disciples can go up the mountain.”

“What should I do?”

“How can I get the black metal tablet?” Luo Feng was troubled.

…

Unable to think of any solution, Luo Feng didn’t grow anxious. Instead, he quietly waited at the foot of Jiang Shen Mountain, carefully observing its activities and looking for opportunities.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

During these six months at Jiang Shen Mountain, Luo Feng got to know many alien experts living in other buildings. These waiting alien experts were all Cosmic Sovereigns, and many were even Cosmic Overlords! They had all come here seeking treasures from the great Master Jiang Shen.

“I lead a race, and all our treasures depend on me alone,” a four-armed giant sat cross-legged beside Luo Feng, sighing in reflection. “Although I joined the Nine-Domain Alliance, the highest-ranking members there are Cosmic Lords. As a Cosmic Overlord, I still receive far fewer resources.”

“For example, a race with a Cosmic Lord can exchange three top-tier heavy treasures for one ordinary treasure. I need four top-tier heavy treasures!” the four-armed giant shook his head. “That’s just an example… I always end up at a disadvantage in various ways.”

Luo Feng nodded slightly.

“Unlike the peak races,” the four-armed giant continued. “The six peak races possess immense power and abundant treasures. Their experts live comfortably within their own races… they rarely find themselves at a disadvantage when exchanging treasures. But for races like mine, where I am the only Cosmic Overlord… You Luo, if I ever perish, please help me ensure my ‘Canyan Race’ can survive.”

Luo Feng said, “Yong He Sovereign, don’t speak like that. If you perish, the Nine-Domain Alliance will resurrect you. If you need help from me, You Luo, I will naturally assist.”

Yong He Sovereign was one of the more compatible alien experts Luo Feng had met here.

He was the great leader of the Canyan Race.

If he fell… the entire Canyan Race would face annihilation.

Yong He Sovereign needed to always consider his race’s welfare, which is why he was reluctant to exchange treasures within the Nine-Domain Alliance—it was too disadvantageous.

“I can only come here to seek Master Jiang Shen! With Master Jiang Shen, he can forge a treasure using materials from various heavy treasures, which is much better than exchanging within the race,” Yong He Sovereign sighed. “This way, I can still provide many resources for my race. For my race’s development, I must grow stronger myself, and future generations of my race must also rise… sigh…”

Luo Feng inwardly admired him.

Though Luo Feng’s strength was considerable, he remained unburdened because the human race was mighty. But this Yong He Sovereign, whose strength was comparable to Luo Feng’s… had to bear the rise and fall of his entire race.

“Xi Luoduo was also a Cosmic Overlord, and his fate was quite similar to Yong He’s,” Luo Feng mused. “With Xi Luoduo, the Golden Horn Race could maintain its independence in the universe. But after Xi Luoduo’s demise… the Golden Horn Race could only rely on stronger powers, becoming a vassal race.”

…

As Luo Feng and Yong He Sovereign were conversing,

Suddenly—

“Look, Master Jiang Shen’s disciples.”

“It’s Master Jiang Shen’s disciples.”

Luo Feng and Yong He Sovereign stood up simultaneously. Even from other palaces and building complexes, figures of alien Sovereigns emerged. These were all here seeking treasures, and they came out from various buildings. At a glance, there were at least a thousand of them.

The eyes of these alien experts all shone with yearning, because having Master Jiang Shen forge treasures, compared to exchanging for treasures within the alliance… the cost was much lower.

Over a thousand alien Sovereigns looked toward the more than ten figures descending from afar. These figures varied—some towering, some short, some covered in fur, some entirely metallic…

The figures descended.

“Senior brothers,” one of the 500 kneeling alien experts respectfully addressed them. “May we ask when Master Jiang Shen will see us?”

“What’s the rush? The teacher went to visit a friend. He might not return for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Just wait patiently.”

One of Master Jiang Shen’s dozen or so disciples spoke, and then they quickly transformed into streaks of light and flew away.

“Visiting a friend?”

Luo Feng’s eyes narrowed from afar.