Apotheosis

The continent in front of Zen that belonged to the four divine kingdoms was vast and boundless, and even he found it difficult to determine just how big it was.

But he guessed that it was much larger than the Sea God Continent and the Central Region.

"Which divine kingdom's territory is this?" Zen asked.

Francis smiled slightly before he replied, "We've come all the way from the Central Region and crossed the Chaotic Ocean of Stars. The Fire Divine Kingdom is part of the border of the Chaotic Ocean of Stars, while the York Divine Kingdom is the other part. I think this territory belongs to the Fire Divine Kingdom. Which divine kingdom would you like to enter?"

"I'll choose to enter the Fire Divine Kingdom then."

Zen did not intend to cultivate and develop in any of the four divine kingdoms. His goal was clear; he wanted the life stones.

Since he couldn't enter the Feather Holy Sea, he had to choose a martial house.

Zen was not familiar with the four divine kingdoms. In the same way, no one in the four divine kingdoms knew him. This time wouldn't be like the first time he had entered the Sea God Continent and was hunted down by ogres the moment he had arrived.

But he still had to be wary of the Holy Maiden of the divine kingdom.

Since Zen had killed the prince of the York Divine Kingdom in Mist's celestial tomb, the Holy Maiden had vowed to kill him for revenge. He wouldn't be as foolish as to choose to enter the York Divine Kingdom of his own volition.

There were a lot of people living in divine kingdoms, but powerhouses were rare everywhere. There were very few Virtual Tribulation Realm warriors in divine kingdoms. If Zen chose the York Divine Kingdom, he would be in a lot of trouble with the Holy Maiden.

Francis had no objection to Zen's choice and followed him, albeit carefully. He had survived in the Central Region. Although he had become Zen's slave, if Zen died or the day came when he was no longer needed, the day of his freedom would surely come.

As Francis had mentioned, the area near the sea was sparsely populated. They had been flying at a high speed for a long time but they hadn't come across any city of any size. This place was even more desolate than the Central Region.

But as they flew on, the number of towns they came across gradually increased.

Zen looked around, only to find that most people in these towns were ordinary people. Even if there were martial artists, they had only reached the nature level.

Of course, he wasn't about to linger here and continued onward.

Further into the Harlen Divine Kingdom, there were a few medium-sized cities. And then, slowly, a few large cities came into view.

The layout of this divine kingdom was completely different from that of the Central Region. The cities in the Ce

sake of the divine kingdoms."

Zen had compared martial houses to sects, but in fact, he should have been comparing sects to divine kingdoms.

For example, if the Cloud Hall was compared to a divine kingdom, then martial houses were like the Elite House within the Cloud Hall. It was not an independent sect, so all resources in the martial houses were given directly by divine kingdoms.

Even if Zen called himself an independent warrior, no martial house would truly view him as one. Instead, they would view Zen as part of the divine kingdom.

The moment he stepped into the Harlen Divine Kingdom, he was considered a member of the kingdom, not an independent warrior.

Only now did Zen finally understand.

He asked for directions to the Jade Martial House and headed towards it, Francis in tow.

Since he couldn't fly within the city, he went ahead on foot. A particular street in the city had a red wall to his right. The faint sound of waves could be heard from beyond it and he could smell the saltiness of the sea.

"There's the smell of the sea. Could it be...?"

Zen had walked deeper into the Harlen Divine Kingdom, staying far away from the Chaotic Ocean of Stars. If there was seawater outside the walls, it would most likely be the Feather Holy Sea.

Francis nodded and said, "You're right. The Feather Holy Sea is right outside these walls."

Just how mysterious was the Feather Holy Sea? He wasn't allowed to enter or even look at it.

But why? Zen was even more puzzled now.

Francis wasn't surprised at Zen's confusion. He smiled and said, "The Feather Holy Sea is related to the ruling position of the four divine kingdoms. This inland sea is their forbidden land. Normal martial artists aren't qualified to even take a look at it."

"What happens if I do?" Zen asked.

Francis laughed. "A single glance will take your life."