The Demon Mountain loomed majestically, suspended in the void.
This Demon Mountain was simply too vast. At its base, even a single platform or valley could rival the entire landmass of Earth. Thus, at the foot of the Demon Mountain, magnificent palaces were built one after another. Some of these palaces towered nearly ten thousand miles high, and only Immortal-level beings could reside within such grand halls!
“Silence is strictly enforced!”
“No combat or bloodshed allowed!”
“No flying out of the valley!”
“Violators will be executed without mercy!” A mighty voice echoed across a valley.
Within this valley, figures filled the space—some sat cross-legged, some leaned against rocks, while others gathered in small groups chatting. Their appearances were all quite similar: each possessed two arms, two legs, two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, with heights nearly identical to humans from Earth.
The only difference was that each had two curved horns protruding from their forehead.
Some horns were black, others silver-white.
At a glance, there were several thousand people gathered in the vast valley.
“Master, how much longer must we wait? The Demon Mountain has been sealed off, and the Virtual Universe Company won’t let us enter,” muttered a young man with black curved horns and bare arms, clad in battle armor. Beside him stood six others, all gathered around the central figure—an elder wearing purple battle armor.
This group of eight:
The elder in purple battle armor was a Realm Lord, with seven disciples under him—two Domain Lords and five Cosmic Lords.
“One hundred thousand people must gather before entry is permitted!” The elder’s aged voice echoed.
“Master,” a crisp voice rang out as a girl with silver-white curved horns couldn’t help but speak up, “the number of warriors arriving from various planets varies unpredictably. Sometimes more, sometimes fewer! We’ve only gathered over six thousand so far. Who knows how long it’ll take to reach ten thousand?”
“Do you wish to defy the rules of the Virtual Universe Company?” The elder in purple armor turned his gaze toward his apprentice with a sharp glance.
The girl bit her lip and dared not speak further.
“Just wait patiently,” the elder sighed. “As long as any of you can survive within the Demon Mountain for a month, you will be recruited by the Virtual Universe Company. Then you can venture into the boundless cosmos. Compared to the vastness of the universe, our Nine-Star Sea is far too small.”
The seven disciples’ eyes gleamed with excitement.
Indeed.
Throughout history, many from the Nine-Star Sea had entered the Virtual Universe Company. Some even returned home after exploring the cosmos, establishing sects and leaving behind high-tech video records. Thus, the warriors of the Nine-Star Sea knew well the vastness and wonders of the universe.
“Remember, if you feel the danger is too great and you can’t last a month, immediately find a way to escape,” the elder in purple armor instructed. “Safety comes first! If you fail this time, return and train harder. Come back stronger when you’re ready.”
“We understand,” the seven disciples nodded in unison.
Suddenly—
A hushed commotion erupted in the distance, instantly causing the group of eight to stand up.
“Master, look over there?”
“It’s the silver-robed stewards from the Virtual Universe Company!” All eight, along with the thousands of others in the valley, were astonished to see a large group of silver-robed figures flying out from the distant grand palace. These silver-robed stewards belonged to the Virtual Universe Company and wielded immense authority.
Even native Realm Lords dared not offend them.
“So many silver-robed stewards?”
“There must be nearly a hundred!”
“What are so many silver-robed stewards doing here?” Thousands of native warriors from the Nine-Star Sea, ranging from Cosmic Lords to Realm Lords, were stunned beyond words. Yet, they dared not raise their voices—not even slightly—for defying the rules of the Virtual Universe Company meant only one thing: death!
“Look, a spaceship.”
“Wow, what a magnificent spaceship.”
The eyes of thousands of natives lit up as a spaceship rapidly approached through the void, soon hovering above the valley. The ship’s hatch opened.
A young man with black hair, clad in camouflage battle armor, pants, and boots, stepped out. Instantly, the hundred silver-robed stewards soared toward him in unison, lining up respectfully. At the forefront of these stewards stood three individuals wearing white robes—two men and a woman—who bowed slightly: “Prince Luo Feng!”
“Prince Luo Feng!” The hundred silver-robed stewards became even more respectful.
Luo Feng, hovering mid-air, gave a slight nod. Then, accompanied by the three white-robed figures and followed by the group of silver-robed stewards, he flew toward the palace.
“Heavens!”
“Goodness, even the white-robed guardians have come personally to greet him?”
“The white-robed guardians are Realm Lords at the peak of their cultivation, acknowledged by the Primordial Laws themselves—second only to gods!”
“I can sense that the black-haired youth is merely a Cosmic Lord.”
The thousands of native warriors dared not speak loudly, only whispering among themselves in hushed tones, trying to contain their astonishment. The once lofty silver-robed stewards now showed the utmost respect to this black-haired youth, as if they were his subordinates.
Suddenly—
One of the silver-robed stewards broke away from the group and dove down toward the valley, instantly causing the voices of the thousands below to drop sharply.
“Listen well,” the steward’s cold gaze swept over the thousands of native warriors below. “A prince from the headquarters of the Virtual Universe Company is about to enter the Demon Mountain for training. Therefore, the seal on the Demon Mountain will be lifted momentarily. You all may now enter. Go and collect your identification tokens and prepare to enter the Demon Mountain.”
“Yes!”
The thousands of native warriors bowed respectfully.
As the silver-robed steward soared away, the group below was filled with joy.
“An elite prince from headquarters has arrived! What great fortune we have! No need to wait for ten thousand people anymore,” the elder in purple armor laughed heartily. The other seven disciples beside him were equally delighted. The girl with silver-white curved horns asked eagerly, “Master, who exactly is this prince? He seems to hold such a high status?”
“A prince from headquarters is among the most extraordinary geniuses selected by the Virtual Universe Company across the boundless cosmos—millions, even billions of times more talented than you all,” the elder in purple armor explained. “And to be personally greeted by three white-robed guardians, this genius must rival even a god in status!”
“A god-like figure?”
The seven disciples’ eyes widened.
…
Luo Feng flew toward the palace, glancing down at the gathered native warriors below.
“Prince Luo Feng, these are the native warriors from the other nine planets. According to our established rules, only those at the Cosmic Lord level or higher may enter the Demon Mountain. Hence, among these natives, Cosmic Lords make up the majority, with a few Domain Lords and even some Realm Lords,” explained a tall, handsome white-robed youth with a smile, carefully observing the young prince before him.
Luo Feng’s name was well known among the management ranks.
Though he was at the lowest level of management, he knew that Luo Feng had passed the seventh level of the Heaven-Ascending Bridge without even taking the first qualification exam, earning the attention of many high-ranking officials within the Virtual Universe Company.
How could such a figure be treated lightly?
They had arranged to greet Luo Feng with the same honor reserved for members of the Primordial Secret Realm—three white-robed guardians and a full squadron of silver-robed stewards. In contrast, for a normal member of the Primordial Secret Realm, just one white-robed guardian and nine silver-robed stewards would suffice.
…
Inside the palace’s second level, Luo Feng entered the upper floor accompanied by the white-robed guardians.
Meanwhile, the thousands of native warriors entered the first level.
“These are your identification tokens!”
“Each of you take one token—hurry up.” The silver-robed steward distributed the tokens—each a pitch-black rectangle—while explaining, “There are two ways to join the Virtual Universe Company: survive within the Demon Mountain for a month, or kill others and collect one thousand black tokens or one red token.”
“The black tokens are the identification tokens each of you now possesses.”
“The red tokens, however, belong to the princes from the Virtual Universe Company who come here for training. If you can kill one of these princes and obtain a red token, not only will you gain entry into the company, but you will also receive treasures valuable enough to impress even Immortal-level beings.”
This speech caused the thousands of native warriors’ eyes to gleam with excitement, though they were not surprised.
After all, these rules had been passed down for countless years, and they were all well aware of them.
…
Inside the palace’s second level.
“This is your identification token.” The white-robed youth handed Luo Feng a red token with a smile. “Remember, if you come within 500 meters of any of the natives, the tokens will resonate, and they will immediately know you possess a red token. They will then swarm you relentlessly.”
“I’m aware,” Luo Feng nodded.
He had already read the detailed instructions beforehand.
If they killed him, they could rise to prominence instantly—of course, they would fight desperately.
“Within the Demon Mountain, two things can kill you: the natives and the illusion beasts dwelling within the mountain itself,” the white-robed youth explained. “Of course, the reverse is also true—you can kill them too. If you manage to collect ten thousand black tokens, you will receive an additional reward. This is an extra reward beyond your mission’s requirements!”
“An extra reward?” Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. “I wasn’t aware of this.”
The white-robed youth smiled. “This extra reward surpasses even your mission points!”
“Really?” Luo Feng’s interest was piqued.
“I don’t have the authority to tell you what the reward is. But once you collect ten thousand black tokens, you will receive it. Rest assured—the Virtual Universe Company is extremely generous,” the white-robed youth continued. “You can exchange ten thousand black tokens for one reward. Twenty thousand tokens for two rewards. There’s no upper limit!”
Luo Feng chuckled and shook his head.
Was it really that easy?
How many native warriors were entering in total? Among them were even Realm Lords at their peak!
This “Demon Mountain Mission” was no easy task.
Demon Mountain—what made it “demonic”?
Although the natives posed a threat, as long as he didn’t seek to collect ten thousand black tokens and instead avoided conflict, their danger paled in comparison to the mountain itself—the true source of peril.
“The front entrance leads to the ‘Sonic Mountain’ region of the Demon Mountain. Entering through the cave at the back leads to the ‘Frost Mountain’ region,” the white-robed youth smiled. “I’m sure Prince Luo Feng already knows the difference between the two regions. Please choose which area you’d like to enter.”
The Demon Mountain was one entity with two faces.
It was divided into the Sonic Mountain and the Frost Mountain—two distinct environments shaped by cosmic evolution. These were, in fact, the most terrifying aspects of the Demon Mountain.
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