Chapter 719: Universe's Nest

Meng Chuan understood.

Before he became a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, there were only three such cultivators in existence. Among them, Ancestor Jie was nearing the end of his lifespan and had ceased competing. This left only the Nightmare Hall Lord and the Prime Realm Leader, both exceptionally ambitious.

The Prime Realm Leader was incredibly aggressive, actively seizing resources previously held by the White Bird Pavilion and the Six Directions Heaven.

The Nightmare Hall Lord was slightly less dominant, but with numerous Soul-Core clones that were unafraid of death, he could freely invade and occupy resources, making him far stronger than a physical-body Seventh-Tribulation cultivator. As Ancestor Jie aged, many resources would eventually become available. The Prime Realm Leader's influence was already too widespread, with nine Soul-Core clones each assigned specific tasks, making it difficult to deploy more for resource seizure. The Nightmare Hall Lord, however, had set his sights on these resources, believing they should belong to him once Ancestor Jie passed away.

"You are powerful, and it's understandable that you occupy many resources in the River of Spacetime while you're alive," the Nightmare Hall Lord thought. "But once you're dead, what right do you have to dictate who gets these resources?" This mindset was quite normal.

Ancestor Jie's intention was straightforward: to keep the benefits within his circle.

He disliked the Black Demon Palace and naturally didn't want them to profit. By transferring resources to his friends, he knew they would struggle to seize them by force, but they would be capable of merely "holding onto" them.

"Ancestor Jie is very pleased that you've become a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator," the White Bird Pavilion Master said with a smile. "I also informed him that you still need to undergo a tribulation, and he wishes for you to visit him after you've passed it."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded.

Ancestor Jie had shown him kindness, so Meng Chuan knew he should pay him a visit.

"The entire River of Spacetime contains numerous treasure grounds, some naturally formed and others created by Eighth-Tribulation mighty figures," the White Bird Pavilion Master asked with a smile. "Have you decided where you'd like to choose?"

Meng Chuan looked at the many glowing treasure grounds on the spacetime territory map before him. After a brief consideration, he pointed to a location in the central region: "Here."

"The Cosmic Nest?" The White Bird Pavilion Master, Shadowfiend Lord, Blazing Sun Deputy Master, and Azure Dragon Deputy Master were all somewhat surprised. The Blazing Sun Deputy Master asked, puzzled, "Dongning, with your deterrent power as a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, you could choose a much better place. Is it really necessary to occupy just one layer of the Cosmic Nest?"

"I plan to occupy all three of the largest layers of the Cosmic Nest," Meng Chuan stated.

The four of them, including the White Bird Pavilion Master, chuckled. The Azure Dragon Deputy Master remarked, "The Cosmic Nest only has nine layers in total. Occupying the three largest layers means you'll control more than half of its resources."

"To occupy three layers, you'll need to station three Soul-Core clones there," the White Bird Pavilion Master reminded him.

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded.

The Cosmic Nest was the most appealing to him because it was where the most 'Cosmic Treasures' were nurtured. Some Cosmic Treasures might only appear once or twice in an entire era of the River of Spacetime and were simply unobtainable through purchase. By occupying the three largest layers of the Cosmic Nest, more than half of the Cosmic Treasures produced there would fall into his hands. He could then choose those suitable for his family and for Cangyuan Realm.

"If you're going to occupy the three largest layers, it seems I'll have to accompany you," the Shadowfiend Lord said.

"Thank you, Brother Shadowfiend," Meng Chuan replied. He knew the Shadowfiend Lord's deterrent power was immense; even as a Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, he was recognized as the strongest of his kind. Now, as a full Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, he was directly ranked among the 'top-tier Seventh-Tribulation cultivators.'

The Cosmic Nest contained nine layers of spacetime.

These nine layers, like a beehive, were fused yet distinct spaces.

Therefore, occupying a single layer required stationing a Soul-Core clone there.

A black-robed, white-haired man and a shadowy entity traversed vast distances of spacetime to arrive.

"The Cosmic Nest is also one of the foremost treasure grounds in the River of Spacetime," the shadowy entity, the Shadowfiend Lord, calmly explained. "It's divided into nine layers, occupied by one Seventh-Tribulation cultivator and eight Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivators. Physical-body Tribulation cultivators only have one external true body, so if they choose to guard it here, they must give up other locations. Each layer is guarded by at least a Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, which shows the Cosmic Nest's appeal."

Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

A single Cosmic Treasure could be worth tens of thousands of units, or even hundreds of thousands. Over time, this was extremely lucrative, and it required no effort to mine, only to guard.

"The three largest layers are currently occupied by Ancestor Lin, a Seventh-Tribulation mighty figure; 'Apprentice' from my White Bird Pavilion; and 'Emperor Chi' from the Six Directions Heaven," the Shadowfiend Lord stated.

Ancestor Lin was an ancient Seventh-Tribulation cultivator from the same generation as the Black Demon Palace Lord. With vast cultivation experience and profound heritage, his sole external true body did not meddle in various affairs, instead guarding the largest layer of the Cosmic Nest for an extended period.

Apprentice, a Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivator from the White Bird Pavilion, was renowned as the strongest artifact refiner of his time in the River of Spacetime. Among over fifty Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivators, he ranked among the top five, demonstrating extraordinary skill that could even surpass some Seventh-Tribulation cultivators.

Emperor Chi, one of the Six Emperors of the Six Directions Heaven, also had a formidable background.

These three consecutively occupied the three largest layers.

A figure emerged from the Cosmic Nest ahead, tearing through space. Its skin was ashen, like a puppet's, its face expressionless, and its three eyes dark and inscrutable. This was 'Apprentice,' the strongest Tribulation mighty figure in artifact refining of the current era.

"Shadowfiend, Dongning," Apprentice said calmly.

"Thank you, Brother Apprentice, for ceding a layer of the Cosmic Nest to me," Meng Chuan expressed his gratitude. The intelligence provided by the White Bird Pavilion had mentioned Apprentice's intention to 'transfer' this layer, otherwise, Meng Chuan wouldn't have come directly to receive it.

Apprentice's disposition was quite reclusive.

He was singularly focused on artifact refining, not even rushing to cultivate his physical body. After mastering the laws of origin, he even named himself 'Apprentice.'

The titles of contemporary mighty figures varied widely in origin.

For example, the two from the Black Demon Palace: Lord Lihong commanded the 'Black Demon Palace,' hence he was also known as the Black Demon Palace Lord. Similarly, Lord Xueyu commanded the 'Nightmare Hall,' and was thus called the Nightmare Hall Lord.

Another example was the Master of Peach Mountain, who, after becoming a Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, occupied Peach Mountain and styled himself as its master.

Mighty figures often changed their titles as their perspectives evolved through different stages of cultivation.

However, titles like Myriad Stars, White Bird, and Dongning were chosen when they were still weak and remained unchanged even after they became Seventh-Tribulation cultivators.

"I have meditated here for over thirty thousand years. Having found tranquility, I now feel the urge to move to another place," Apprentice said calmly. As a physical-body Tribulation cultivator with only one external true body, abandoning a treasure ground meant truly letting go. "However, Ancestor Lin occupies the largest layer of the Cosmic Nest, and he won't yield it easily."

"Let's go and see," Meng Chuan said.

The three of them proceeded side by side.

Spacetime distorted as they neared the largest layer of the Cosmic Nest.

"May I help you?" An exotic beast appeared. It had a single horn, looked slightly fierce, was covered in scales, and possessed a pair of blood-red eyes. Seeing the three individuals present, it was startled. Although 'Apprentice' was reputed to be among the top five Half-Step Seventh-Tribulation cultivators, Ancestor Lin's profound heritage gave him confidence to overpower Apprentice. But the other two beside him...

One was 'Meng Chuan,' the City Lord of Dongning, who had caused the Black Demon Palace Lord trouble, and he was a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator.

The other was the White Bird Pavilion Master's sworn brother, the Shadowfiend Lord, a top-tier Seventh-Tribulation mighty figure. Each was stronger than the last!

"Ancestor Lin," Meng Chuan said with a smile. "I'll be taking the largest layer of this Cosmic Nest."

The 'Ghost Ink Lord,' with whom Meng Chuan had some past conflicts, was a subordinate of Ancestor Lin.

Ancestor Lin rarely involved himself in disputes, but he had always fiercely guarded the largest layer of the Cosmic Nest.

"You want it?" Ancestor Lin's eyes turned cold. "That's a bold claim. If you have the ability, feel free to attack."

"Ancestor Lin, I advise you to leave peacefully," the Shadowfiend Lord said calmly. "While your defensive formation might withstand our assault, we're merely here to persuade you. If you don't comply, our White Bird Pavilion will have no choice but to ask the 'Pavilion Master' to intervene personally. Should the Pavilion Master appear, I fear your external true body here would not be safe."

Ancestor Lin's expression darkened upon hearing this. "With so many layers in the Cosmic Nest, must you take mine? And there are many other treasure grounds in the River of Spacetime."

"Just vacate it quickly," the Shadowfiend Lord said calmly.

Previously, the White Bird Pavilion had limited personnel and no Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivators! Other mighty figures each had only one external true body, so there was naturally no need to contend for many resources.

But with Meng Chuan's arrival, it was natural to claim whatever could be taken.

The numerous treasure grounds in the River of Spacetime inherently belonged to the strong!

Ancestor Lin looked at the three individuals before him, then fixed his gaze on Meng Chuan, realizing it would be too disadvantageous to contend with a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, especially one so frighteningly young.

"City Lord Dongning, as a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator, you could surely occupy a better place," Ancestor Lin couldn't help but say.

"I plan to occupy three layers of the Cosmic Nest," Meng Chuan replied calmly.

Ancestor Lin was momentarily stunned.

Three layers? Undoubtedly, the three largest ones. The scale of a Soul-Core Seventh-Tribulation cultivator's ambitions was truly different!

"Very well, I shall yield it to City Lord Dongning," Ancestor Lin said in a low voice. He understood when to advance and retreat; giving up this place still allowed him to claim other treasure grounds, and City Lord Dongning was not an easy opponent.