354: Chapter 348 A Gathering of Powerful Individuals

One week later.

The spaceship carrying Song Yang silently broke through layers of water pressure, diving toward the deepest trench of this planet.

Song Yang closed his eyes to rest.

Opposite him was that mechanical body full of power and aesthetic beauty—Zeus.

A week had passed since he had "taken" the stone stele from that group of Mechanical Race members.

Just as he had expected, the stone stele was not a simple token; the coordinates on it pointed exactly to this ten-thousand-meter trench named the "Throat of the Void."

"Depth is twenty-three thousand eight hundred meters; the water pressure has already exceeded the structural limits of most Stellar Rank warships."

"The ecology of this planet is very peculiar. For a planet clearly lacking in resources, its core activity is exceptionally violent, creating such an extreme environment."

Song Yang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm.

"The more a place is like this, the easier it is to hide secrets."

"Based on the energy reactions, we are almost there," Zeus reminded him.

Soon.

At the end of the spaceship's light beam, a palace of indescribable grandeur stood quietly at the bottom of the trench.

It was constructed entirely of an unknown blue-black rock, its surface covered with the marks of age-old erosion.

Countless massive pillars plunged straight into the seabed, supporting the towering roof of the hall.

The palace doors were tightly shut, a hundred meters high, carved with complex and abstract star maps.

In front of this palace, their spaceship was as tiny as a grain of dust.

"What a grand undertaking."

Song Yang sighed sincerely.

To be able to establish such a magnificent structure ten thousand meters under the deep sea, the strength of its owner must have reached an inconceivable level.

"There are no matching architectural styles in the database; its history might be older than all known interstellar civilizations."

Just as Song Yang was about to have Zeus approach...

"Wait."

"There are life reactions."

"More than one."

The detectors turned on. Directly in front of that magnificent palace, three groups of people occupied three distinct positions.

On the left was a group of hideous-looking creatures, the Zerg.

On the right was a group of even more massive beings.

Some were shaped like mountain-sized giant apes, some had three pairs of wings on their backs, and others had human bodies and snake tails—they were the Monster Race.

And directly facing the palace gates were Song Yang and Zeus's old "acquaintances."

Dozens of Mechanical Race experts stood together.

The leading Mechanical Race member was a size larger than his companions, with four metal arms folded behind his back, clearly possessing impressive strength.

The three factions were wary of each other, and no one made the first move.

"Interesting."

"How did they find this place?"

Zeus quickly analyzed:

"The coordinates were written on the stone stele. They must have called upon the experts of their respective races to forcibly lock onto this area."

"Fools may be fools, but when there are enough of them, they can always scrape together some wisdom."

Song Yang was not surprised by this.

No one who could make it to a Cosmic Secret Realm was a true idiot.

"They don't have the key and can't enter the palace, so they simply waited here for us to walk into their trap."

"A very simple but effective tactic," Zeus commented.

"Now, we have become everyone's target."

Instead of being nervous, a flash of excitement crossed Song Yang's eyes.

He liked this feeling.

Battling heaven, battling earth, and battling people—the joy was endless!

Especially battling these self-righteous alien races!

"Zeus, let's go out and say hello to them."

"My thoughts exactly."

When the two of them stepped out of the spaceship together, the three factions and their thirty experts surrounded Song Yang and Zeus in the center.

Facing this terrifying lineup that was enough to kill him in an instant, Song Yang merely gave a nonchalant smile.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the hideous Zerg, the tyrannical Monster Race, and the angry faces of the Mechanical Race one by one.

Finally, his gaze fixed on that silent palace.

"The key is in my hands."

"This stone stele's function is far more complex than you imagine; it is both the coordinates and the only credential to open this divine temple."

"The moment I obtained it, it was already bound to my soul."

"If I die, the key shatters, the soul mark dissipates, and this palace will be forever sealed at the bottom of this trench."

"None of you should even think about entering."

These words immediately ignited the powder keg!

"Arrogance!"

"A mere Stellar Rank little bug dares to threaten us!"

"Kill him! I don't believe that thirty Cosmic Level Experts working together can't find a way to break a tiny soul binding!"

In the Monster Race camp, that expert who looked like a mountain giant ape beat his chest.

"Oh?" Song Yang raised an eyebrow.

"You can try."

"My life is cheap. To be able to take the cosmic secret treasure you all dream of to the grave with me—no matter how you calculate it, I win."

He spread his hands, looking like a rogue who was ready to be slaughtered.

"If you want to make a move, do it quickly. I'm in a hurry."

For these Cosmic Level Experts who had cultivated for countless years, they didn't dare to bet that Song Yang was lying.

For the sake of this secret realm, they had spent enormous resources to reach the Cosmic Secret Realm.

Now that a treasure was right before their eyes, if an impulsive decision caused everything to vanish into thin air...

None of them could bear the consequences.

For a moment, the atmosphere became incredibly strange.

Thirty Cosmic Level Experts were forced into a dilemma by a Stellar Rank human using the simplest and most blatant of schemes.

If they killed him, they might get nothing.

"Interesting."

From the Monster Race camp, a lazy female voice rang out.

Everyone looked toward the source and saw a Monster Race expert with a human body and a snake tail slowly slithering out.

She had an exquisitely beautiful face, but her golden vertical pupils revealed a heart-chilling coldness.

"Little fellow, you have quite some courage."

"Since everyone's goal is to enter the temple, fighting and killing really has no meaning. Why don't we cooperate?"

"Cooperate?" The Mechanical Race leader snorted coldly. "Between us and him, there is only hatred!"

"Then kill him, and then all of us will watch you here until the seas run dry and the rocks rot," the snake demon retorted bluntly.

The Mechanical Race leader was suddenly speechless.

The Zerg side also quieted down; clearly, although they were bloodthirsty, they were not without wisdom.

Compared to tearing apart the human before them, the temptation of the treasures in the temple was greater.

Seeing this, the snake demon twisted her tail with satisfaction and turned to Song Yang.

"Little fellow, you open the door, and we go in together. As for the treasures inside, it'll be every man for himself. How about it?"

This seemed like the fairest proposal.

However, Song Yang laughed.

He shook his head.

"Not good."

The snake demon's smile froze:

"What do you mean? Don't push your luck."

Song Yang withdrew his smile.

"If you want to go in, fine."

"But it has to be by my rules."

"There are too many of you. Each race can only have five people enter at most. As for who goes in, you decide that yourselves."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place erupted in an uproar!

"What?!"

"On what basis do you limit our numbers!"

"Kid, don't go too far!"

Limiting their numbers was harder to swallow than killing them!

Who would go in, and who wouldn't?

Would those who went in be teamed up against and killed by the other two races?

Would those left outside fail to get any treasures?

The snake demon, who had been acting as if she had everything under control, saw her expression turn ugly.

This human had such a malicious mind!

"My rules are the rules."

"Either accept my conditions and we all go in to hunt for treasure together."

"Or you kill me here and now, and then everyone can stay here guarding this broken palace until it turns into cosmic dust."

"I'll give you three minutes to consider."

After saying that, he actually closed his eyes, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Time ticked away, minute by minute.

In the deep sea, only the heavy breathing of the experts from each race and the frantic flashing of mental communication between them remained.

Anger, struggle, suspicion, weighing the options...

Ultimately, all emotions turned into a sliver of helpless compromise.

Three minutes later.

The Mechanical Race leader was the first to speak.

"Fine, we agree to your conditions!"

"Our Monster Race also agrees."

The snake demon gave Song Yang a deep look, a gaze that seemed as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

Finally, the Zerg side emitted a series of hisses, expressing their agreement as well.

Song Yang slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at this group of Cosmic Level Experts who were forced to bow their heads.

"Very good."

"Since that's the case..."

"Then let's see what's in this palace together."