Chapter 190: Master of the Mother River

This cave residence, as a branch of the Life Mother River, was currently under the temporary supervision of a Chaos Realm cultivator, due to the upcoming recruitment of new members. That Chaos Realm being sat cross-legged, his nine-segment tail slowly swaying. His emerald green eyes held a trace of unease.

“Divine King Luo He gave the order personally?”

He didn’t take Yuan seriously. After all, Yuan was merely a newly advanced Chaos Realm cultivator, who had only managed to become a guest official of the Ancient Flame Kingdom thanks to his connections with Luo He.

But Divine King Luo He—he was a dominant figure who could go head-to-head with the Heavenly Kun Ruler.

“Divine King Beifeng.” The Chaos Realm being immediately sent a message to report, “That guest official Yuan, under the command of Divine King Luo He, orders us to withdraw from the surrounding Twenty Chaos States.”

“Luo He? Even Shiguo and Yuguo don’t dare oppose us, and he dares? Leave it to me.”

“Yes.” The Chaos Realm being breathed a sigh of relief.

A single breath from Divine King Luo He could wipe him out—he was indeed under immense pressure. Matters like this were better left to the higher-ups.

...

Yuan stood in the plaza. After conveying City Lord Luo’s order, the entire cave residence fell silent. No one responded.

“A minor branch shouldn’t have the authority to decide whether to withdraw or not. They’re probably reporting it upward.” Yuan patiently waited.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a terrifying energy descended from the void, materializing into a brawny figure with green hair. The moment he stood there, the surrounding laws of nature shifted, and endless winds blew from all directions.

The green-haired figure had a thick beard and a single eye that locked onto Yuan. “Guest official Yuan? I’ve heard of you. Luo He values you and secured your post in the Ancient Flame Kingdom.”

“So it’s Divine King Beifeng,” Yuan immediately recognized him, since the man hadn’t bothered concealing his identity. Smiling, he replied, “As a newly advanced Chaos Realm cultivator, becoming a guest official of the Ancient Flame Kingdom was indeed fortunate.”

“I’ll speak plainly,” said Divine King Beifeng. “Luo He wants our Life Mother River to withdraw completely from these Twenty Chaos States? That’s impossible! We’ve had a presence across many territories since before Shiguo and Yuguo were even founded—as other nations existed, we were already here.”

“No matter who founds a nation,” Divine King Beifeng looked at Yuan, “they have no right to forbid us from recruiting members.”

“If it were just minor recruitment, we wouldn’t mind,” Yuan replied. “But you’re recruiting across all twenty states—and selectively so, taking away only the most elite. You haven’t even bothered to notify my City Lord Luo. Don’t you think that’s excessive?”

“One recruitment per city every thousand eras—too frequent?” the green-haired figure said. “Hardly. As for notifying anyone—your City Lord Luo should’ve done his homework and learned who we are! He should know... that our Life Mother River is not to be trifled with!”

“Enough. Get lost.”

He sneered at Yuan. “Just because you fought the Heavenly Kun Ruler to a draw, don’t think you can provoke our Life Mother River!”

Yuan let out a soft sigh.

Suddenly—

In the plaza within the cave residence, an invisible force descended—a power so rich in world energy that it completely suppressed the aura of the green-haired figure.

“Hmm?” Divine King Beifeng’s expression shifted slightly.

A figure in silver robes appeared beside Yuan.

He wore silver clothes, a horn on his forehead, and his eyes were cold. He was none other than the famed Divine King Luo He of the Origin Continent.

“Luo He really came?” Divine King Beifeng fixed his gaze on Luo Feng.

The silver-robed Luo Feng appeared to have an ordinary aura, yet the endless world energy around him was his alone. He looked at Divine King Beifeng and spoke in a calm voice, “Divine King Beifeng, even on my territory, you act so arrogantly?”

Divine King Beifeng restrained his aura and became noticeably more respectful. The pressure from the pervasive world energy was simply too strong.

“Greetings, City Lord Luo.” Divine King Beifeng offered polite words.

“You should already know what I mean,” Luo Feng said. “Let your Life Mother River give me an answer: Will you withdraw, or not?”

Divine King Beifeng shook his head without hesitation. “Our Life Mother River has been rooted in this territory for countless ages—we will not withdraw. City Lord Luo... your talent is extraordinary, but you should know which existences in the Origin Continent you cannot afford to offend.”

“I’m well aware of the Master of the Mother River’s renown,” Luo Feng said with a smile.

“You know, and still dare to drive us out?” Divine King Beifeng shouted.

“One last time.” Luo Feng looked at him calmly. “Will you withdraw, or not?”

Divine King Beifeng snapped, “Luo He, don’t bring disaster upon yourself!”

Luo Feng slowly shook his head.

Rumble—

Endless world energy gathered and enveloped Divine King Beifeng’s entire body.

The world power of Luo Feng’s true body was capable of covering the range of Eighteen Chaos States. Now that most of that force was focused in one spot, the pressure was unimaginable. Divine King Beifeng felt an all-encompassing oppression—his every movement restrained.

“You dare!” Divine King Beifeng was both shocked and furious. Despite possessing formidable strength even within the First Stage Divine King realm, he found himself utterly incapable of struggling.

“I gave you face, told you to withdraw, and yet you didn’t. Then I’ll just drive you out directly!” Luo Feng’s gaze turned cold.

Boom!!!

The might of the world power surged rapidly, and Divine King Beifeng was terrified.

“You will regret this.” Divine King Beifeng stared at Luo Feng, and then his body was crushed into powder under the terrifying pressure.

“This is just a small lesson.” Luo Feng said calmly.

Merely destroying one true body was indeed just a warning. Divine King Beifeng had anticipated a breakdown in negotiations and had not brought any treasures.

Yuan, who had been watching the whole time, finally spoke after Divine King Beifeng’s true body was annihilated. “Luo He, the Life Mother River is not easy to deal with, is it?”

“Don’t worry.” Luo Feng smiled.

He knew very well the background of the Life Mother River.

“What do we do now?” Yuan looked around. He could sense that there were still some members of the Life Mother River inside this estate, but they were only Eternal True Gods.

“Wait,” said Luo Feng.

…

On the Origin Continent, within a secret world that had been opened up—this place was also called the ‘Mother River World.’

A large number of lifeforms lived and reproduced here, and there were Eternal True Gods, Chaos Realm beings, and Divine Kings cultivating here. It was the true core of the Life Mother River’s power.

“This Luo He is too arrogant! He completely disregards our Life Mother River.” Divine King Beifeng’s divine power incarnation roared in fury. “On the Origin Continent, who does Luo He think he is?”

“I heard he can rival the Heavenly Kun and has tremendous vitality.” In the distance, several figures sat leisurely. One of them, immensely towering, suddenly stood up and smiled. “I’ll go test him, see how many of my moves that body of his can withstand.”

“Yufu, there’s no need for someone like you to take action against a mere youngster.”

“Yufu, leave this matter to me.”

The surrounding Divine Kings tried to stop him.

Divine King Yufu was second only to the Master of the Mother River within the entire Life Mother River force. In terms of frontal combat power, he was even equal to the Master of the Mother River. It was just that the Master of the Mother River possessed far more mysterious and unfathomable methods.

“I’ll handle this personally.” A voice rang out.

All the Divine Kings turned their heads and saw a figure in a black robe, seemingly fused with the world itself.

All the Divine Kings immediately stood and saluted.

“Master of the Mother River.”

“Divine King Zongfu.”

“Big Brother Zongfu.”

The titles differed, but the respect was unanimous.

“Zongfu, you’re going to meet him personally?” The towering figure, Divine King Yufu, spoke.

“This Luo He isn’t that strong yet.” The black-robed man smiled. “But in the future, he may influence the order of the Origin Continent. I ought to meet him.”

Divine King Yufu nodded slightly.

The two of them were life-and-death companions who had walked this path together. They were the core of the entire Life Mother River force!

…

On the plaza within the estate, the silver-clad Luo Feng stood waiting, with Yuan by his side.

“He’s here.” Luo Feng sensed a force instantly arriving through causality within the range of the world power, like teleportation, directly from a distant place to appear before him.

It was a black-robed man, his smile carrying boundless charm, brimming with life energy and mystery.

“Master of the Mother River, ‘Divine King Zongfu’?” Luo Feng looked at him.

“Looks like your master told you all about me?” the black-robed man said with a smile.

“The strongest vassal of the Ancient Flame Kingdom.” Luo Feng replied. “How could I not know?”

In the early days of the Ancient Flame Kingdom, ‘Emperor Yan’ was the first emperor.

Back then, the royal family had only three Second Stage Divine Kings, and there were five guest Divine Kings. Among them, the strongest was ‘Divine King Zongfu.’ Zongfu was the mightiest vassal of the Ancient Flame Kingdom, campaigning across the realms.

In that era, Divine King Zongfu’s strength was virtually unmatched.

“That’s right.”

The black-robed man sighed. “At that time, Emperor Yan relied heavily on me. I, the guest Divine King, chose to fully devote myself to the Ancient Flame Kingdom. I served it wholeheartedly, but in the end, you saw the outcome.”

“Because my weapon was too powerful, Emperor Yan mobilized the entire Ancient Flame Kingdom to encircle and kill me.” The black-robed man sneered. “He just couldn’t stand his vassal being stronger than him! I didn’t have that many resources, nor was I an Ultimate Divine King lifeform… I relied on my own cultivation. With just one powerful weapon, I could match him. He could no longer tolerate me.”

The black-robed man looked at Luo Feng. “Luo He, your potential might surpass mine. Do you think they’ll tolerate you in the future?”

“At least for now, my master and the others have shown me kindness,” Luo Feng replied.

He knew very well how powerful the person before him was.

On the entire Origin Continent, there were five Second Stage Divine Kings who could challenge emperors and sovereigns:

Queen Fengdu, the Great Earth Divine King, the mysterious powerhouse from the Shadow Heaven Realm, the Flame Ancestor, and the Master of the Mother River before him.

Queen Fengdu and the Flame Ancestor were rather aloof.

The Great Earth Divine King… had a deep grudge against the Ancient Thunder Kingdom, and usually acted alone. He joined the Wheel Reincarnation Pavilion only because of his close ties with Queen Fengdu.

The one from the Shadow Heaven Realm was a mystery. Even the two great ancient kingdoms didn’t know his real identity.

The Master of the Mother River, whose true identity was ‘Divine King Zongfu,’ had fought countless times against the Ancient Flame Kingdom throughout the ages. Many Divine Kings with enmity toward the Ancient Flame Kingdom had joined the Life Mother River, causing it to grow stronger and stronger.

The two ancient kingdoms, three top-tier factions, and five superpowerhouses—these were the forces that determined the order of the Origin Continent.

The Three Major Sects—Two Realms Pavilion, Ten Thousand Laws Tower, and Time-Space Ark—were led by powerful foreign races who could rival the two Founding Ancestors. They didn’t aim to change the order of the Origin Continent but merely sought the remnants left behind by Yuan.

None of the five superpowerhouses had joined the three sects formed by foreign races.

“You’re right, they’re kind to you now.” The black-robed man smiled at Luo Feng. “Then let’s consider this our introduction today. You want my Life Mother River to leave your territory of Twenty Chaos States? I agree. I’ll have them withdraw immediately.”

“I believe… we’ll fight side by side one day in the future.” The black-robed man smiled, then vanished into thin air.

Luo Feng stood on the plaza, frowning slightly.

In the future… would they really join forces?