Chapter 661: Star Cloud Palace Initial Gathering

Meng Chuan focused solely on his cultivation. At the White Bird Pavilion, he only had to obey Deputy Pavilion Master Chiyang, so nothing much disturbed him. However, more than twenty years into his cultivation on Clear Spring Island, he received an invitation.

"The White Bird Pavilion's Third Branch, Master Qinshan, who has mastered the spatial rules, is about to hold a celebratory ceremony at the Nebula Palace?" Meng Chuan was surprised. Since joining the White Bird Pavilion, he hadn't participated in any activities. He wasn't very familiar with the other Six Tribulation Realm experts, so he hadn't attended any gatherings at the Nebula Palace. This, however, was a major celebration.

The next day, Meng Chuan naturally projected a thought through his Nebula Token and traveled to the Nebula Palace.

"Rumble."

The rules of the Nebula Palace were profound. Upon arrival, one could draw upon power to form a physical body and soul. Meng Chuan appeared on the vast outermost plaza of the Nebula Palace, feeling a touch of awe.

The physical body avatars of Tribulation Realm mighty figures were limited. For instance, a physical body Tribulation Realm expert could only have two true bodies, constrained by the rules of space-time. Yet, within the Nebula Palace, one could form another physical body with a single thought, highlighting the palace's unique nature.

Unlike the Cangmeng Realm, where avatars were merely ordinary projections with no combat power, here one could condense a physical body.

Furthermore, for physical body Tribulation Realm experts, cultivating an avatar came at a significant cost. A Five Tribulation Realm physical body required thousands of units of resources, while a Six Tribulation Realm physical body demanded tens of thousands of units.

However, in the Nebula Palace, no such cost was incurred; a body could be condensed with a single thought, provided one had already comprehended the corresponding physical body technique.

"First, I'll head to the gathering place for the Third Branch." Meng Chuan walked across the plaza. The Nebula Palace consisted of numerous grand halls, vast and expansive, with various major powers having carved out their territories here.

The White Bird Pavilion occupied nearly twenty percent of the area, a fact Meng Chuan had long been aware of.

"Here we are." Meng Chuan arrived at the main hall of the White Bird Pavilion's Third Branch. The hall was now bustling with noise and activity. With a glance, Meng Chuan saw hundreds of mighty figures already seated.

"The seating arrangements also differ," Meng Chuan thought. Although he wasn't familiar with most of the Six Tribulation Realm experts, he already knew information about the members and could identify their ranks with a single glance.

The seats in the hall were arranged in semicircular rows around the main area. The first hundred or so seats were reserved for "top-tier Six Tribulation Realm" experts, while ordinary Six Tribulation Realm experts sat in the second, third, and subsequent rows.

Meng Chuan naturally walked towards the back, found a seat on the edge of the fifth row, and sat down casually.

"Brother Dongning?" A Six Tribulation Realm mighty figure nearby enthusiastically greeted him.

Meng Chuan looked over and smiled in return, "Palace Master Xingsha."

This Six Tribulation Realm mighty figure, named Palace Master Xingsha, was the strongest member of the 'Stardust Life' clan within the River of Space-Time. His body was composed of slowly flowing stardust particles. He smiled brightly and said, "I've heard of Brother Dongning's great name for some time, but only today do I have the pleasure of meeting you."

"Brother Dongning, I heard you had a previous connection with Deputy Pavilion Master Chiyang and went straight to the Valley of Space-Time. We were all incredibly envious."

"We can only be envious."

"Brother Dongning, are you from the Goddess River Domain? I'm from the Bone-Chasing River Domain, which is very close to yours."

Several Six Tribulation Realm experts nearby started chatting with Meng Chuan. They were quite enthusiastic; being ordinary Six Tribulation Realm experts themselves, they were all willing to befriend a Soul Tribulation Realm expert with a strong background and backing.

Moreover, as members of the White Bird Pavilion's Third Branch, the rules of the pavilion naturally encouraged mutual assistance.

The White Bird Pavilion had too many members, so they were divided into eight major branches based on their geographical regions, with nearby river domains grouped together.

The First Branch, directly commanded by the White Bird Pavilion Master himself, had the most members and comprised those from the central core region of the River of Space-Time.

The other seven branches were led by seven 'Half-Step Seven Tribulation Realm' experts, each having over a thousand members, representing the other seven regions of the River of Space-Time.

As someone from the Goddess River Domain, Meng Chuan was assigned to the Third Branch.

"A while ago, in the East Nether River area, our battle with the Six Directions Heaven was truly devastating. The fighting was fierce, with several Seven Tribulation Realm mighty figures and Half-Step Seven Tribulation Realm mighty figures appearing. My outer realm true body perished midway through the battle. After the battle, the patrol order returned my weapons and treasures and compensated me with thirty thousand units of outer realm prime crystals. Unfortunately, successfully rebuilding my outer realm true body costs more than thirty thousand units, so this time I truly suffered a loss."

"In the battle of the East Nether River, we were at a disadvantage overall. The Six Directions Heaven had thoroughly prepared for a sneak attack. After the Seven Tribulation Realm mighty figure 'Master of East Nether' was severely wounded and called for aid, the White Bird Pavilion dispatched a large number of powerful experts to support, but ultimately, we couldn't achieve victory. The losses from the battle couldn't be fully replenished, so receiving thirty thousand units of outer realm prime crystals in compensation is already quite good."

"The Master of East Nether's strength is still a bit weak. If he had the power of a top-tier Seven Tribulation Realm expert, I believe the Six Directions Heaven wouldn't dare interfere with his dominion over the entire East Nether River."

"The Master of East Nether... it's hard to say."

"He's quite petty."

"Unlike our Heart Demon Cult Master and Azure Dragon Pavilion Master, who are much more generous. Following them, we've never lost out."

These Six Tribulation Realm experts chatted idly, while Meng Chuan mostly listened, as he rarely took on any missions from the White Bird Pavilion and thus knew relatively little.

"They're here."

"The Cult Master is here."

The lively hall gradually quieted down as three figures walked in together.

Meng Chuan also observed them closely.

Walking in the center was a smiling child, who was actually the leader of the Third Branch, 'Heart Demon Cult Master,' a Half-Step Seven Tribulation Realm expert. The Heart Demon Cult Master had mastered the Immeasurable Rule.

The difficulty in dealing with a Half-Step Seven Tribulation Realm expert depended on the rules they had mastered.

Once the Immeasurable Rule was mastered, it made one virtually immortal. In terms of direct combat, the Heart Demon Cult Master ranked among the top hundred in the River of Space-Time, but when it came to life-saving abilities, he was among the top twenty.

"Heart Demon Cult Master, flanked by King Tuoling and Master Qinshan," Meng Chuan observed.

King Tuoling was a one-horned old man with an octagonal shell on his back.

Master Qinshan, on the other hand, was a fair-skinned, chubby man whose skin was so pale it seemed water could be squeezed from it.

Both of them had mastered the spatial rules and were peak Six Tribulation Realm experts. Their strength was sufficient to exchange a few moves with a Seven Tribulation Realm mighty figure.

As for ordinary Six Tribulation Realm and top-tier Six Tribulation Realm experts, they were utterly helpless in the face of a Seven Tribulation Realm mighty figure.

"Everyone," the child-like Heart Demon Cult Master said from the main seat, his voice echoing through the entire hall, naturally filled with joy. "Our White Bird Pavilion's Third Branch, in addition to King Tuoling, now has another Deputy Patrol Order — none other than Brother Qinshan."

Only peak Six Tribulation Realm experts were qualified to serve as Deputy Patrol Orders.

Meng Chuan, seated in a corner, raised his cup with the others.

Throughout the celebratory ceremony, Meng Chuan only became fully focused when Master Qinshan began to elaborate on the profound techniques of the 'spatial rules' he had comprehended.

The discourse lasted for half a day, with all the Six Tribulation Realm experts listening attentively.

The pale and chubby Master Qinshan then smiled faintly and said, "After all this talk, it's better to demonstrate for everyone to understand more clearly. Anyone who wishes to spar with me may come forward to the hall."

"Brother Qinshan, please enlighten us," one of the slender figures seated in the front row rose and walked to the center of the hall.

To dare challenge a Deputy Patrol Order, one had to be a top-tier Six Tribulation Realm expert; otherwise, the difference in power would make it uninteresting.

Expectation gleamed in the slender figure's blood-red eyes. He also wished to comprehend spatial rules, and direct combat offered a deeper understanding.

"Don't hold back, use your full power," the slender figure said, gazing at Master Qinshan. Their strengths were once comparable, but now a gap had opened.

"If I use my full power, you won't last more than a few moves," the pale and chubby Master Qinshan replied, also walking to the center of the hall.

"Bring it on."

The slender figure vanished into thin air without a trace.

A gigantic, illusory head appeared and lunged to swallow Master Qinshan whole, as the surrounding scenery began to twist and distort.

Standing there, Master Qinshan extended his right hand, his pale palm pressing down slightly as if on nothing.

Silently—

The surrounding area was suddenly flattened into a sheet of paper. Within that paper was the image of the slender figure. The paper eventually disintegrated, and with it, the image of the slender figure also vanished.

Meng Chuan's pupils contracted as he watched. Having studied the "Void Codex" for so long, he naturally recognized that Master Qinshan's simple 'void press' technique compressed all levels of space into a single layer, effectively eliminating the 'height' of that space, transforming three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane.

Once transformed into a plane, any life-form dependent on space would perish.

Such unrestrained manipulation of space could only be achieved by completely mastering the spatial rules.