Within the Awakened Beasts Race's territory, at the core valley—the cultivation sanctuary.
The scarlet earth was like gravel, the encircling ring-mountains formed barriers, and the boundless sky was filled with multicolored star-mist, enveloping every Quibeast within the valley and composing the basic landscape of the core sanctuary.
At the very center of the cultivation sanctuary stood an ancient statue, its pitch-black surface twisting Soul-Sense like a colossal black hole. Countless Quibeasts of differing realms gathered around this revered statue—some ignored Andrew Han, some were deep in seclusion or sleep, while many secretly watched the Human Eternal King with curiosity.
And at this moment, the latter group was far from few.
Yet they did not know that the Human Eternal King Andrew Han—who had caused so many Quibeasts in the sanctuary to open their eyes—was deeply lost in thought, reflecting on the concept and definition of a Heaven-Venerable: “I am a dignified new-generation Eternal King, and yet I know nothing about this.”
Indeed, he had never asked, and the Eternal Gate had never mentioned it at all.
Besides, in recent years, Andrew Han had no mind to learn such things. He focused on cultivation, gradually adapting to the power of an Eternal King, and his Soul-Will had reached Fourth-Stage Void Rift.
“Why didn’t Master Xu tell me?”
Andrew Han began to understand: “My subconscious didn’t want to be greedy and overreaching—having just become an Eternal King, to immediately covet the Heaven-Venerable realm would be truly insatiable. Master Xu probably considered this too, worried it would disrupt my cultivation state.”
So be it.
Once he returned to the Archaic Hall’s Spark-Heritage Zone, he could simply ask directly.
After all, he was the Eternal Gate’s Sixth Eternal King; surely he had that kind of Star-Gate authority. In the blink of an eye, Andrew Han sorted out his thoughts and looked up again, his expression calm and composed. He ignored the surrounding Quibeasts’ gazes and simply focused on the black statue standing before him.
“Why rush?”
“First, let’s see what’s special about this ancient statue in the Awakened Beasts Race’s cultivation sanctuary.” Andrew cautiously spread out his Soul-Sense; the Void Rift–level soul fluctuations were completely devoured by the statue’s surface.
Not a trace remained.
“Hmm?”
Andrew Han studied it for a while.
Clearly, this million-meter-tall Quibeast statue possessed extraordinary qualities. If he was not mistaken, its surface was covered by a defensive membrane, and its raw material was a Cosmic Wonder.
It was truly a grand feat!
Even Andrew Han could not help but marvel: “Cosmic Wonders are extremely rare, and those capable of blocking Void Rift–level Soul-Sense are even more precious... To solidify a once-liquid Wonder onto the surface, regardless of the difficulty, the sheer value of the Cosmic Wonder used could rival half the Galaxis Stellar System.”
At this thought,
He could not help but look up at the ancient statue—the six lifelike hooves, the single eye lifting its lid with a sliver of cold light, and especially the angular head that blocked the star-mist above, its sheer size astonishing.
Andrew Han even wondered how such a massive head could possibly fit a body.
The structure of a Quibeast’s body...
Was indeed utterly different from that of the flesh-and-blood Human Race...
Just as Andrew Han was observing, and as one Quibeast after another glanced his way, Elder Xiturok let out a low, wistful sigh.
“Heaven-Venerable.”
He sighed, “Though I am responsible for the entire Awakened Beasts Race’s Elder Council, my life tier surpassing the Cosmic Eternal Realm and my existence spanning countless ages, I have never once seen a Human Heaven-Venerable with my own eyes. It is the greatest regret of my life… I once heard that Heaven-Venerables exist to open the path of Creation, a power independent of the starry Dao-laws—able to restrain all things and stand invincible among the cosmic races. But I do not know if this is true.”
With that,
Xiturok, whose body measured only a few centimeters, slowly turned his head.