News of home.

When the ship arrived at Earthen Peak planet, Yao Jun was already standing at one of the many windows along the side of the ship, gazing at the distant planet. Gideon was also standing by the window, drinking some wine from a jug, letting out an awestruck sigh as he looked at the distant planet.

"It's quite the sight, isn't it? According to the ancient scripts, the entire peak was once part of an utterly massive planet. But the planet was shattered during a heaven-rendering battle, the pieces spreading throughout the universe."

Yao Jun had expected Earthen Peak to be a planet dominated by a tall mountain, but as he looked at the distant planet, he realized that he had been completely wrong. The planet itself was just one massive cone-shaped mountain that floated through the void of space. The cone-shaped mountain was dirt brown in color and was so large that it was mind-boggling. Yao Jun had once seen how his home planet looked, but this floating mountain alone was already larger than his own planet. If just this mountain was so large, how utterly massive must that ancient planet have been, and what sort of battle could shatter such a planet?

The ship quickly reached the massive mountain, allowing Yao Jun to see that there were countless building and structures dotting ever side of the mountain. At the very top of the mountain stood a massive city, so large that Yao Jun could not even fathom how many inhabitants it must have. Yao Jun had already returned Little Gray and the others to his God Gate, as there was no telling what sort of people they might encounter on the planet.

The ship stopped at the middle part of the mountain, landing in a vast plaza surrounded by buildings of various shapes. Yao Jun saw one building that looked like a pagoda, one that looked like a gothic castle, one that was completely square in color, even one building that looked like two vines coiling around each other. The buildings were all built using strange materials, making each of the buildings colorful and bright.

When the ship landed in the plaza, there were already countless other people in the plaza. Some were walking around and checking out the various vendors that sold food or small items, some sat by one of the many fountains that were decorated with statues of either Demonic beasts of people, others were just sitting at some of the tables and chairs that were spread throughout the plaza, calmly reading some books.

No one reacted to the ship landing, so it seemed like it was a normal occurrence for ships to land there. Tobyn had all the passengers disembark the ship, storing it into his interspatial ring. After the ship and their Demonic beast cargo were safely stored away, Tobyn cupped his hands at the passengers.

"This ship will return to Shattered Ocean planet in half a year, anyone who wishes to join us for the return trip can come here and pay a small fee, then we will bring you along."

They were only here to deliver the Magnetic Seahorse and ensure that Saraya's standing amongst the younger generation increased, after that, they would quickly return to their own planet. Tobyn grabbed Saraya and made his way towards the building that looked like two vines coiling around each other, the other passengers starting to spread out. Before he left, Gideon pat Yao Jun on the shoulder.

"You were looking to buy some information, weren't you? I have to go deliver some reports about the previous mission I accepted, so we'll have to split up here."

Gideon removed his hand from Yao Jun's shoulder, stretching out an arm and pointing at the building that looked like a gothic church built out of cyan colored stone, statues of strange beasts placed alongside the walls, directing Yao Jun.

"That building is the one where you can buy information and other non-categorized articles, that's where you'll find what you're looking for."

The Heaven's Secrets Company branch on this planet was split up so that weapons could be bought in one building, armor in another, and then medicine in another one. After directing Yao Jun, Gideon stretched out his arm and presented his open palm.

"It's been fun chatting with you, if we were to meet again, we should share some wine and tales. Don't worry, I won't bring any women for you."

Even though Yao Jun seemed a bit ignorant about things that were common knowledge, and wasn't as frivolous as Gideon would have liked, he was still fun to chat and drink with. Yao Jun shook Gideon's hand, nodding his head with a smile.

"It has been pleasant, let's hope we can meet again in the future."

Despite hunting for chances to increase his strength and often traveling on his own, Yao Jun was not fond of being on his own. Even with Sirius and the others inside his God Gate, it was easy to get lonely after longer periods of time, so having someone carefree like Gideon to talk to was refreshing. There was also the fact that Gideon reminded Yao Jun of Yun Yantian, their personalities rather similar.

The two split up, with Gideon heading towards the tall violet pagoda, and Yao Jun heading towards the gothic church. The massive doors to the church stood wide open, so it was very easy to see the large room inside. There were tables of various lengths placed all along the walls, men and women of all ages and races standing behind the tables and waiting for someone to walk up to them. At the center of the room stood a massive pillar made out of blue crystal, stretching all the way up to the ceiling that was several hundred meters above them.

The room was lit up by several large chandeliers made out of white quartz, a gentle and warm light shining down from them. The entire floor of the room was covered by a soft carpet that was deep blue in color, round glass tables surrounded by soft chairs spread around the room, blooming flowers were placed in exquisite clay vases that decorated the tables.

After sweeping the room with a quick glance, Yao Jun walked over to the closest counter. Standing behind the table was a black-haired and green-eyed human boy who seemed to be about the same age as Yao Jun. But since cultivation extended one's youth and lifespan, it was hard to tell if this boy was truly the same age as Yao Jun. With Yao Jun walking over, the youth quickly greeted him with a bright smile.

"Greetings, and welcome to Heaven's Secrets Company, how can I help you today?"

Yao Jun swept the boy with a quick glance, but the boy seemed to use a technique similar to his own, his cultivation obscured and hazy. Yao Jun did not waste any time, quickly explaining as much as he could about his home planet.

"I am looking to buy information about the location of a certain planet. It's mostly covered in ocean, with four continents, one large and three small ones. The entire planet is surrounded by a seal that prevents the inhabitants from leaving the planet but doesn't prevent outsiders from entering the planet. It might be located within a Hollow Waste."

At first, the boy didn't have much of a reaction to Yao Jun's words, but as Yao Jun continued his explanation, the eyes of the boy lit up slightly, surprise appearing within them. He didn't immediately say if they had any information about the planet, responding with a question.

"Why are you looking for this planet?"

Yao Jun's eyes faintly narrowed after the boy asked the question. He did not answer the question, instead doing the same as the boy had, responding with a question.

"Do I have to answer that question for you to answer mine?"

Yao Jun had become more careful and vigilant after passing through the spatial rift and seeing how wide the universe was. The way he saw it now, the less others knew about those he held close, the smaller the odds that they got attacked if there was someone who had evil intentions towards him. It had reached a point where he felt like hitting himself for telling Leylan that he came from the Grand Quan continent. What if Leylan had any evil intentions and managed to find the continent? The boy quickly shook his head, his face still carrying the same bright smile.

"Of course not, it was merely a routine question! We do indeed have some information about a planet like that, the price will be 15 Spirit grade Spirit Stones."

Yao Jun could not help but be surprised at how little the information cost. He had saved up as much as he could, just in case the information ended up costing a fortune, 15 Spirit grade Spirit Stones was nothing to him right now. He quickly handed over the Spirit Stones, the boy storing them into a white bracelet he wore on his right wrist.

"Thank you very much! The planet you are asking about is called the Sixth King's Realm, and it is indeed located in a Hollow Waste, one known as the Sealed King's Tomb. This Hollow Waste is located very close to the center of this universe, so it should only take a few hundred years to get there if you hire a caravan. As for the planet in question, it is located at eastern part of the Hollow Waste, close to the middle."

At the same time as the boy explained he took out a piece of jade from the bracelet, putting some Qi into it and projecting a map into the air. The map revealed a countless number of planets and other objects floating around in space, the boy quickly zooming in on a certain part of the map. After a bit of zooming in, that familiar blue planet appeared in front of Yao Jun. Looking at the image of his own home planet, Yao Jun kept a straight face and stealthily calmed his beating heart, asking another question.

"Is there any way to get to the Hollow Waste faster, and what will I have to look out for when I enter the Hollow Waste. How much will this information cost?"

To cultivators of a certain strength, hundreds of years were nothing. Yao Jun had yet to break through to the Immortal Rebirth realm, but even he already had a lifespan of around 400 years. Once he broke into the Immortal Rebirth realm, that lifespan would increase to several thousand, if not tens of thousands of years. But that did not mean that Yao Jun was willing to spend hundreds of years making his way back to his home planet, there had to be a faster way he could use.

There was also the fact that his home planet was located in a Hollow Waste, so he guessed that there were likely some dangers he would encounter after entering the Hollow Waste. Knowing what sort of dangers he could face would make it easier for him to prepare ahead of time.

Contrary to what Yao Jun expected, the boy shook his head, storing the jade into the bracelet and taking out a thin book bound in what seemed to be light pink leather that was rough and coarse to the touch. The boy handed the book to Yao Jun, who looked at it with some confusion, the boy quickly explaining.

"That information is public knowledge, so it will not cost you anything. Please read through this."

Yao Jun grabbed the book and quickly started to read through it. His facial expression didn't change as he read it, but his heart immediately dropped, a feeling of despair flooding his mind. As he read the book, he immediately understood why the information had been so cheap.

The Sealed King's Tomb was one of the most famous Hollow Wastes in the universe, and the reason behind that was very simple. Countless years ago, the Horrid King of Pride, Superbia, had reigned supreme in that area, which was already a Hollow Waste at the time. He proceeded to conquer countless planets and murder countless people and cultivators.

It reached a point where several Godking's banded together to slay Superbia and his minions. But he had gotten the title Horrid King of Pride Superbia, a sign that he was one of the seven strongest people who had the Horrid moniker. Even with several Godking's working together, they were only able to just barely kill him, with Superbia able to hide away his inheritance on one of the countless planets in the Hollow Waste.

To prevent another Superbia from ever rising because of that inheritance, the Godking's of the universe banded together and sealed up not only every planet in the Hollow Waste, they even sealed up the entire Hollow Waste and forbade anyone from entering it, setting up patrols so that no one could enter it. Yao Jun did his best to keep a calm face as he asked his next question, returning the book.

"Is there really no way to enter the Sealed King's Tomb?"

Yao Jun was so pre-occupied with the fact that it was practically impossible for him to return to his home planet that he didn't even notice that the facts that the book spoke of were a bit different from the story that Sword Empyrean Heng Jiang had told him. The boy returned the book to the bracelet, giving a slight nod of his head.

"The book says that is is impossible, but there is, in fact, one way to get admittance into the Sealed King's Tomb, ask a Godking for a favor. As long as a Godking gives you permission to enter, there is no problem."

Since it was Godkings that had set up the seal, they, of course, had the authority to allow some people to enter the Hollow Waste. A slight moment of silence followed, Yao Jun taking a deep breath to force himself to calm down and organize his thoughts. The boy was the one who broke the silence, tilting his head slightly.

"Would there be anything else?"

Yao Jun quickly calmed down, his face remaining casual the entire time. He was not someone who would let himself wallow in despair, since entering the Hollow Waste without permission from a Godking was impossible, he simply had to get permission from a Godking. But he also knew that the current him didn't even have the right to know the names of any Godkings, much less meet any, so he would first have to raise his strength and fame. And while doing so, there was one other thing he had to do.

"Medicine that can heal ruined organs and body parts, especially eyes, do you sell them?"

Just thinking about Guo Luo's ruined eye pained Yao Jun, because he knew that it was his fault that she had gotten hurt, it was his fault that she had been pushed into the hidden realm. The boy did not immediately respond, placing his finger against his forehead and closing his eyes. A faint light appeared at the tip of his finger, sinking into his forehead. After a short moment, the boy opened his eyes again, lowering his arms and speaking with a slightly cramped smile.

"We used to have a few, but they have suddenly become exceedingly popular among the large clans and sects, so we don't have any in stock. If you wish for us to reserve you one, it will only cost you 50 Heaven grade Spirit Stones."

Yao Jun almost felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the price. 1 Heaven grade Spirit Stone was 10 000 Earth grade Spirit Stones, just what had caused the medicine to become this expensive? Yao Jun wasn't even close to being able to afford that, so he could only try his hand at the other method he had been told about.

"The grand competition that will be hosted in two years, is it true that the Merged Heaven clan is handing out some of this medicine as a reward? If yes, how can I join this competition?"

Since buying it was out of the question, he could only fight for it. He knew that the competition allowed everyone beneath the middle stage of the Earthly Deity realm to participate, making his chances very low, but he still had to try. Otherwise, how long would he have to wait before he could fix Guo Luo's eye? The smile on the boy's face grew a shade brighter as he responded, gently rubbing the bracelet on his wrist.

"The Merged Heaven clan is indeed handing out such medicine for the top 10 of the competition. If you do not belong to a sect or a clan, you will have to buy a challenger token. A bit before the competition starts, the token will transport you to a testing ground where you will be given the chance to prove that you are worthy enough to take part in the competition. If you wish to buy such a token, we can provide one for a mere 3 Earth grade Spirit Stones."

The corners of Yao Jun's mouth twitched slightly at the price, as these 'mere 3 Earth grade Spirit Stones' would be practically all his wealth. But for the chance to heal Guo Luo's eye, it was a small price to pay. He swiped his interspatial ring, taking out another interspatial ring that was filled with Spirit Stones, handing them to the boy.

"Give me the token. I am also interested in joining the God Hunter Pavilion, how do I do that?"

Joining the God Hunter Pavilion would make it easier for Yao Jun to gather wealth and resources, both which were things that he needed to gather so that he could raise his strength before the competition. The boy checked the contents of the interspatial ring, nodding his head with a brilliant smile.

He placed the interspatial ring into his bracelet, taking out a deep yellow jade tablet that was engraved with the image of a tall mountain that had a massive black cave dug into its side. He handed the token to Yao Jun, giving him a slight bow and pointing at a dwarf of a man with a crimson beard that was walking toward them.

"Thank you for your continued patronage. If you wish to join our God Hunter Pavilion, please follow him, he will tell you what you need to know."

The crimson-bearded dwarf gave Yao Jun a slight bow and introduced himself as Bertold, beckoning for Yao Jun to follow him. The two quickly left the church-like building, heading directly towards the violet pagoda that Gideon had entered earlier. While they were walking, Bertold made a little small talk.

"So, kiddo, why are ya looking to join the God Hunter Pavilion?"

Yao Jun found that Bertold had an accent that was rather similar to the one Reiner, the soldier of the World Tree Clan army that he spent a bit of time with, had. The two weren't of the same race, but he wondered if they might come from the same place. In response to the small talk, Yao Jun simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I need money and resources, the pavilion offers both."

Bertold raised an eyebrow at Yao Jun's response, looking him up and down for a short moment, eventually letting out a fake and overdramatic sigh.

"Eh? I figured you'd be one of those adventurous kinds that did it to travel the universe and fight in exciting battles, guess I was wrong."

Seeing that the action's he thought would be funny were met with no response from Yao Jun, Bertold quickly cleared his throat and entered the violet pagoda with Yao Jun, giving a quick introduction of it.

"Alright, this here is the main building where ya can accept and deliver missions. Second floors a restaurant and bar if ya wanna relax a lil and calm down. Third floors where ya can truly unwind and ease yer tense nerves, our girls are known to be some of the best. Fourth floor is where ya can meet up with other members of the pavilion and just chat in peace and quiet. Out that door over there you'll find the training grounds, a place where ya won't have to worry about breaking anything."

The first floor of the pagoda was very similar to the room where Yao Jun had bought the information, counters lining the walls of the room, white chandeliers releasing a gentle light. Across the room stood two tall doors made out of metal, and there was a spiral staircase at the right side of the room that led upwards. There was another crystal pillar located at the center of the room, but this one was packed full of words. Seeing Yao Jun inspecting the crystal pillar, Bertold quickly explained about it as they made their way toward one of the counters.

"That thing yer looking at there is the ranking crystal, it lists the various rankings that the Heaven's Secrets Company has. We got the Rising Dragon List for the top 100 younglings in the Immortal Rebirth realm, the Soaring Dragon List for the top 100 people in the Earthly Deity realm, and the Ascended Dragon List for the top 100 Heavenly Deity powerhouses."

The Heaven's Secrets Company specialized in gathering information, so putting together a list like this was easy for them, especially when they received the aid of their mysterious founders.

Yao Jun was quite surprised that there were actually lists that ranked the strongest people of each rank beside the lowest rank and Godkings. Just how much work did it take to put together these lists? He swept the Ascended Dragon List quickly, spotting a familiar name on the 33rd spot, Destroying Fist Arthurius Grievin, middle stage Heavenly Deity. But at the same time as he checked the lists, he noticed that there was a fourth list located a bit further away from the three others. Slightly curious, he asked Bertold.

"What about that list over there?"

The two had already reached one of the counters, Bertold taking out a few objects from the bracelet on his wrist. He raised his head and glanced at the list Yao Jun was pointing at, his expression distorting in disgust for a short second before he responded.

"That one? That is the bounty list, but ya shouldn't look at that. Anyone who can get on the bounty list is a true monster, ya should just leave them to the Heavenly Deities, or in the worst cases, the Godkings."

Yao Jun gave a slight nod of his head, but he still checked out the list, especially the upper rankings. The ones that caught his eye were the seven names ranked at the top, the seven people that had received the titles that were mentioned in the thin book Yao Jun had read earlier.

Horrid King of Pride, Superbia. Horrid King of Sloth, Acedia. Horrid Queen of Wrath, Ira. Horrid Queen of Greed, Avaritia. Horrid King of Envy, Invidia. Horrid King of Lust, Luxuria. Horrid Queen of Gluttony, Gula. Seven titles that had existed since time immemorial, seven titles that were given to the greatest sinners and monsters in the universe.

Bertold tapped the counter in front of him, causing Yao Jun to turn away from the crystal pillar. Placed on the counter in front of him was a piece of paper as well as a triangular crimson crystal. Bertold pointed at the triangular crystal, looking at Yao Jun with a questioning gaze.

"Alright, ya have to drip some of yer blood and Qi onto this. Can ya insert a piece of your soul, or do you need us to help you with it?"

People started gaining control over and training their soul at different stages in cultivation, so not everyone was able to move their soul around and remove a small piece. Yao Jun had gained the ability to control his soul quite a while ago, so he quickly dropped some blood onto the quartz, putting a small part of his soul into it. At the same time, he followed Bertold's instructions and wrote his name on the piece of paper he had been given.

Once his blood and a piece of his soul had entered it, the crystal suddenly split into two smaller triangles. One floated into Yao Jun's chest and became a part of him, nestling next to his God Gate, while the other floated into Bertold's bracelet. Yao Jun was slightly curious when it came to the various functions of these bracelets, but he didn't choose to ask about it. After the crystal entered his bracelet, Bertold gave a nod and spoke up with a smile.

"Perfect, this'll allow us to not whether or not you have died during your wanderings. You keep this part, it will serve as your identification in all our branches, it will also record all your achievements as you accumulate more."

These achievements Bertold spoke about was in truth just what missions Yao Jun had finished, as well as any great battles he had taken part in that they knew of. Now that Yao Jun had joined the God Hunter Pavilion, Bertold explained a bit about how it worked.

"Ya have only just joined, so you only have the rank of Beast Hunter and can only take the most basic missions. Complete enough missions or show enough strength and you can be promoted to a Lord Hunter, then a Demon Hunter, then a Monarch Hunter, and finally a God Hunter. But let me warn ya, kid, don't try to swallow too much at once. Just focus on calmly accumulating achievements and strength, rushing will only lead to yer death. And with that, welcome to the God Hunter Pavilion!"

Most missions simply rewarded Spirit Stones, but some would instead reward favors or resources. Most missions were simply handed to the God Hunter Pavilion, giving them control over who could accept the missions. But as someone's fame rose, people could pay an extra fee to have the God Hunter Pavilion recommend the mission to that specific person. If the God Hunter Pavilion determined that the mission was within what that person could handle, they would agree to the transaction.

After joining the God Hunter Pavilion, Yao Jun decided to not waste any time, immediately looking to accept a mission.

"Thank you. I would like to accept a mission immediately, do you have a list over ones that I can choose?"

He only had about two years to increase his strength to a level where he stood a chance at reaching the top 10 of the grand competition, he could not waste any time.