Star Spirits' range of activity and perception weren't limited by the speed of light, nor by spatial constraints. Their range was only limited by the planetary system, a rather arbitrary restriction.
Larger planetary systems meant a larger range of perception and activity for the Star Spirit – a truly unique lifeform in the cosmos, and a perk only they possessed.
Tyrant realized it was time for him to make an appearance. He was, after all, a boss-level being. He needed to show his face; otherwise, he'd lose his opportunity. Shiro seemed poised to devour him very soon.
"I'm going out for a while."
"Suit yourself."
Before Tyrant left the canyon. Mei, noticing a problem with the bacterial mats, asked, "These bacterial mats seem incapable of cultivating higher-energy Star Beasts?"
"Correct."
Tyrant, stretching his limbs, replied, "This planet's life force is too weak. It can only cultivate up to Level 5 Star Beasts. To cultivate higher-energy Star Beasts, you need to find a planet with a stronger life force."
"Understood."
With that said,
Boom!
The canyon shook violently. Tyrant gathered his strength, leaped, and soared directly out of the canyon, his figure vanishing like a cannonball in an instant.
Devouring Level 3 Star Beast spores had pushed her to roughly Level 8, her limit. Further consumption was useless. A Level 4 Star Beast spore fell into Mei's hand, which she tossed towards Shiro.
"Shiro."
"Ooh!"
Shiro's sharp eyes darted over, then with a leap, swallowed the Level 4 Star Beast spore. A white light immediately flickered across its body.
[Upgrade Task 4・Complete]
[Star Beast Level Up]
[Star Beast・LV10⬆]
[Star Spirit・LV10⬆]
Leveling up twice in one go, Shiro unleashed the potential accumulated from devouring countless Star Beasts, jumping directly from LV8 to LV10.
The surge in power also raised Mei's Star Spirit level to LV10. This significant increase caused a frantic surge in Mei's power.
If not for her strong control, Mei feared she might accidentally blow up the planet. After all, creating even a minor ripple in the sea of star energy—generating an energy tide—would be enough to destroy it.
The upgrade from LV8 to LV10 was brutally simple. Mei's range of perception remained unchanged, confined to this planetary system.
However,
Her control over star energy had drastically improved. Previously, she could easily destroy the planet with star energy; now, she possessed the power to easily destroy a star.
It would still take considerable effort using brute force. After all, a star is equivalent to a massive vortex in the ocean of star energy, a highly concentrated point of star energy. Mei didn't need to calm the vortex; she just needed to extract a portion of the star energy.
Star energy is a general term for the power of the cosmos. Stellar energy naturally belongs to a type of star energy, similar to how life force exists on a planet. Mei could easily control these energies.
Once a portion of a star's energy is extracted, the remaining energy becomes insufficient to support its massive structure, leading to its inevitable collapse.
This is Mei's method for destroying stars: highly efficient and effective. In other words, Mei possesses the ability to easily end a planetary system.
As a Star Spirit, Mei, while still flesh and blood, possesses physical attributes that have reached an unimaginable level.
Her body's strength is arguably the greatest in the universe, infinitely equivalent to the strength of materials subjected to immense pressure. Every atom in her body is tightly packed together, perfectly stationary relative to each other. Materials under her strength are absolutely incapable of inflicting any damage on Mei, not even leaving a scratch.
Based on this, other physical attributes are similarly impressive. The strongest body possesses the strongest power. Furthermore, as long as she is within the sea of star energy, Mei is practically immortal. Even if injured, the star energy will promptly heal her.
To eliminate Mei, one would need to instantly obliterate her. A prolonged battle is futile; she could fight anyone until the end of time, until the universe itself ends.
Mei felt this absurdly powerful strength and marveled in awe, "This isn't some 'God among Men.' This is a true deity."
In a certain sense, a Star Spirit is a deity, born as such. Few such lifeforms exist in the universe.
Tzzt!
A streak of azure lightning flashed in Mei's hand, then transformed into wind, water, fire, and other forms. Control over energy meant control over any element, including metals and magma.
Matter is ultimately interchangeable. For the universe, matter and energy are essentially the same thing, differing only in scale.
Under Mei's control, a massive amount of the planet's life force was channeled to nourish the bacterial mats, rapidly producing a large number of Level 4 Star Beast spores.
"Shiro, continue."
"Ooh!"
A torrent of Level 4 Star Beast spores erupted from the mats. Shiro continued to devour them, generating a large number of equipment, artifacts, and abilities that Mei collected into her Personal Spatial Storage.
Having absorbed countless abilities, Mei had evolved into a Star Spirit lifeform. She no longer needed these common abilities.
Unless they were exceptionally unique.
However, facing a Level 10 lifeform, the rewards from Level 4 Star Beast spores were minuscule, and her level increase was excruciatingly slow.
...
Meanwhile,
A flash of blade-light instantly killed a Level 3 Star Beast. Lucia, wielding her blood-stained longsword, mused, "Star Beasts have become surprisingly scarce lately."
"That's good news."
Jayce's voice crackled through the comm-unit. After completing the Shan City mission, they'd returned to their respective sectors. They were quite familiar, often chatting casually.
Lucia had an unsettling premonition, a furrow in her brow. "Fewer Star Beasts is good, but this inexplicable situation is unsettling. Oh, and how's Flashy doing?"
"Still in confinement. He can't leave base until he completes his isolation training. That kid nearly caused a major incident last time. He deserves this."
At this point, Mei's image flashed in Lucia's mind. If not for her, Viagra would have probably destroyed Shan City.
Every time she recalled that encounter that left her unconscious, Lucia instinctively tightened her grip on her blade, a tremendous sense of pressure and urgency welling up within her.
She needed to become stronger, and quickly.
Suddenly,
A chilling blade-light. Lucia's blade moved, cleaving with a speed several times the speed of sound. Facing this strike, a hand rose, firmly grasping the blade.
Boom!
The lingering force of the blade shattered buildings within a radius of several dozen meters. Skyscrapers collapsed, roaring in the destruction, but the person who caught the blade remained unharmed, even smirking, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
"Not a bad strike!"
Hearing this,
Lucia's pupils constricted.
A powerful tail slammed into the ruins. Tyrant, whose humanoid form was almost perfect, appeared before Lucia, radiating immense pressure.
Lucia was utterly shocked. High-level Star Beasts were always capable of communication; that wasn't unusual. What shocked her was how easily this Star Beast had withstood her attack.
Bang!
The blade sang.
Lucia swiftly retreated, her blade unsheathed, extremely wary. From that single exchange, she knew she was no match for this Star Beast—the difference was vast.
Beep beep!
The Star Beast monitoring unit sent an emergency alert. They had detected an extremely high-energy signal at Lucia's location: a Level 4.8 Star Beast!
Tyrant looked at Lucia with folded arms, his relaxed demeanor as if he were simply enjoying himself. He asked, "Aren't you going to check the alert?"
"..."
Lucia remained silent, her expression even more serious. This Star Beast was highly unusual; unlike other Star Beasts, it was rational, almost indistinguishable from a human.
"Oh well."
Realizing Lucia wasn't interested in communicating, Tyrant showed some disappointment, then suddenly unleashed a wave of pure hostility. "Let's play a little before the other Starkillers arrive."
Boom!
The moment the words left his mouth, an intense pressure wave slammed into Lucia. Before she could react, Tyrant's fist smashed into her vision.
A deafening roar. Lucia's body was sent hurtling backward, carving a massive trench dozens of meters long through the ruins.
The explosive force of the punch obliterated everything in its path, carving a void in the ruins.
"Cough cough!"
Lucia clutched her longsword, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She felt like her entire skeletal structure had been shattered. Ignoring the injuries and pain, she swung her blade.
This Star Beast's power was unprecedented. A single blow had nearly incapacitated her; the previous encounters were nothing compared to this.
"This time, I might actually die."
Muttering to herself, Lucia unleashed a massive strike. Tyrant expressed disappointment, effortlessly shattering the attack with a single punch.
"Too weak."
He shook his head. "You're not even entertaining me."
"Then how about adding us to the mix?"
A figure descended from the sky. Jayce, enveloped in azure energy, gritted his teeth, his veins bulging, and unleashed a punch into the ruins.
Boom!
Instantly, a tremor shook the entire ruin. The ground trembled violently, and a whirlwind of dust erupted. Jayce and several other high-level Starkillers arrived.
Jayce asked Lucia, "How are you? Still capable of fighting?"
"I won't be a burden."
Lucia's words were few but meaningful. She stood, sword in hand, gambling that her body could endure a bit longer before reaching its limits.
A monstrous figure slowly emerged from the dust cloud. Jayce's fighting spirit surged. "A Level 4.8 Star Beast. This is going to be trouble."
"Level 4.8?"
Tyrant revealed his full form, glancing at the Starkillers. With a playful intent to taunt them, he asked, "Have you ever experienced despair?"
Jayce: "What are you trying to say?"
Tyrant smirked.
"Don't you notice that my form is different from other Star Beasts? I'll let you in on a little secret: this isn't even my full-power form. Interested in seeing my true form?"
"!!!"
"…"
Hearing this,
Several Starkillers' pupils constricted, their scalps tingling. They immediately attacked, refusing to exchange further pleasantries with Tyrant. Even faced with a clear disparity in power, they showed no fear.
"Ha ha!"
Tyrant's fighting spirit was also ignited. He laughed, "Bring it on!"
Boom!
Suddenly,
An intense battle erupted in the ruins. Under Tyrant's deliberate stalling, more and more Starkillers arrived to join the fray.
The Allied Council issued a single order:
"Eliminate this Star Beast at all costs!"
...
Two hours later.
Countless Starkillers lay scattered across the ruins. In his full-power state, Tyrant's size had swelled to fifteen meters, his energy level reaching 5.2.
Faced with this overwhelming power, even Starkillers with squad leader-level combat prowess couldn't stand against Tyrant. While he'd sustained considerable injuries, his self-healing abilities were too potent; he appeared completely unscathed.
The dying Lucia and Jayce felt utter despair. They couldn't match him, the gap in strength being insurmountable, unbridgeable by determination or courage alone.
Jayce, heavily wounded, lay in the ruins, barely able to move. He looked up at the calm sky and said, "It's all over…"
Lucia leaned against a wall, too weak to stand. This battle had been exhilarating for Tyrant; he felt immense satisfaction. "A fitting final battle. I have no regrets."
This statement seemed slightly off, but Lucia couldn't pinpoint why. At that moment, the sound of approaching aircraft filled the air, and a wave of high-level Starkillers descended like rain.
The confined Flashy had been released. In this emergency, even his volatile power was needed.
Flashy's blood boiled.
"Finally, my time to shine!"
Tyrant glanced at them, completely disregarding these Starkillers. He arrogantly laughed, "Your arrival is ill-timed. This isn't your stage anymore."
Then,
Tyrant's battle-intent gaze locked onto a specific figure—Mei, who had appeared silently.
The moment he saw Mei, Flashy's expression froze. The Viagra within him screamed wildly, urging him to flee as far as possible. Clearly, Mei had left a profound psychological scar.
Simultaneously,
Lucia and Jayce were stunned. Among the humans they knew, only Mei possessed the combat power to rival Tyrant.
With her help, they could surely defeat him!
However,
Before Lucia and Jayce could celebrate, the familiar relationship between Tyrant and Mei sent a shiver down the spines of all the Starkillers. The situation instantly became delicate. Without knowing whether Mei was friend or foe, Flashy and the others dared not act rashly.
Mei stood calmly, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding Starkillers. She asked Tyrant, "Well, satisfied?"
"Completely."
Tyrant chuckled in response, knowing it was time to offer his life. He focused his hostility on Mei, launching a decisive attack, letting out a triumphant roar as he unleashed his final, unrestrained power: "Let me see your true strength!"
"Shiro."
"Ooh!"
Shiro materialized from the ruins with supernatural speed, opening its mouth to unleash a blinding cross-shaped beam of light, followed by an unparalleled shockwave.
Boom!
The sky and earth shuddered violently. The rampant power destroyed everything; its residual force alone was enough to terrify the Starkillers, sending them flying helplessly.
Shiro, despite its seemingly harmless appearance, was fundamentally a Star Beast, a Level 10 super-Star Beast at that.
It could easily destroy Tyrant, or even obliterate the planet itself. By devouring other Star Beasts, it stole their abilities to evolve. Shiro's current life level was almost equivalent to Mei's Star Spirit level; Tyrant was utterly outmatched.
A wave of energy blasted a massive chasm into the ground, ultimately piercing the planet's atmosphere and reaching into the cosmos before finally dissipating.
When the dust settled, the Starkillers surveyed the horrifying scene, feeling a profound terror. Before such power, they were nothing more than ants.
Flashy scrambled out of the ruins, his body battered, his eyes filled with fear, the urge to run overwhelming.
This kind of monster was far beyond their capabilities!
Sss—
A heat wave still rolled across the ground. Tyrant stood, seemingly unfallen, but his head and body were more than half vaporized, instantly killing him.
The Starkillers shuddered. This was a Level 5.2 super-Star Beast, yet it had been annihilated in a single encounter.
Shiro, its short legs pumping, dashed to Tyrant's remains, decisively opening its maw and swallowing him whole.
"Grrr!"
Crunch!
A Level 5.2 super-Star Beast had been devoured. The sound of consumption sent chills down the Starkillers' spines. Then, a white light flashed across Shiro's body.
[Upgrade Task 5・Complete]
[Star Beast Level Up]
[Star Beast・LV11⬆]
[Star Spirit・LV11⬆]
Countless Level 4 Star Beast spores hadn't significantly raised Shiro's level; the returns were minimal, resulting in only a Level 11 upgrade.
Just as Mei was about to leave, Lucia offered her thanks. "Thank you for your timely assistance."
Her steps halted.
Mei's figure instantly vanished.
Gratitude?
Mei hadn't intended to save the Starkillers; she was purely there to complete the Upgrade Task. If the Allied Council knew what she'd done to this planet, they'd likely become her enemies.
However, in Mei's view, the Starkillers didn't warrant becoming her enemies, nor did they necessitate her personal intervention.
At that moment,
The Star Beast monitoring unit's large screen displayed a high-level red alert. The monitoring personnel seemed frozen, their heads raised, unmoving. After a while,
A terrifying energy level of 7.3 appeared on the large screen. The monitoring personnel were utterly petrified, as if in a dream.
"Is the reading accurate?"
"Director, no error. It's a Level 7.3 energy reading!"
The technician's voice trembled as he spoke. Previously, they couldn't have imagined the strength of a Level 7.3 entity; today, they had witnessed it.
But that was only Shiro's single strike.
"Prepare a report immediately. I'll go to the Allied Council myself!"
"Understood!"
Regaining his composure, the director realized his hands were completely ice-cold. Without hesitation, he had to personally report this to the Allied Council.
…
The following day.
After a meeting, the Allied Council reached a unanimous decision. Since Mei had shown no hostility toward humanity, they wouldn't provoke her.
However,
Humanity's future had to be held in human hands. The successive appearances of high-level Star Beasts made the Allied Council realize that the Starkillers' gradual power increase was insufficient for the new environment and era.
They urgently needed greater power; the Starkillers needed to grow faster!
In the Allied Council's headquarters, a man in a black suit retrieved a vial of medicine from his Personal Spatial Storage. Undeniably, this man was a Void Wanderer.
His name was Aley, a new member of the Nova Super-Legion. It was his manipulation within the Allied Council that allowed Flashy, also a new recruit, to obtain the power of Viagra.
As a new recruit, Aley had few items and equipment, making him a valuable asset for the legion. He received this Control Serum from the legion.
This Control Serum was still an unfinished product. Its completion required the cooperation of the Starkillers through human experimentation—a cruel process. Aley believed now was the time to utilize it.
This unfinished Control Serum was only a Tier 2 item. Once completed, it might even exhibit Tier 3 effects, potentially merging with the Starkillers' inherent power. The resulting reaction was unknown, but promising.
He instructed his secretary.
"I need to meet with the chairman."
"Understood. I'll schedule an appointment for you."
Meanwhile,
Mei was using the star energy ocean to perceive various sounds across the cosmos—electromagnetic waves, gravitational waves, and neutrino signals. Any signal causing energy fluctuations could be heard through the Voice of All Things, revealing the information contained within.
Mei's current planet had suffered significant depletion of its life force. Moreover, its weak life force prevented the cultivation of higher-level Star Beasts.
This meant only one thing: finding other civilizations in the universe and using their planets to cultivate the bacterial mats and produce higher-level Star Beasts for future Upgrade Tasks.
…
A month and a half later.
Mei intercepted a message transmitted via gravitational waves. The content: Greetings from the Northern Cross Civilization, extended to all civilizations in the universe.
By listening to the gravitational wave signal, Mei immediately pinpointed the Northern Cross Civilization's location: 60 light-years away in the same spiral arm.
"Found it."
Mei looked towards a specific region in the cosmos. With a thought, ripples stirred in the star energy ocean, affecting the entire planetary system.
After her Star Spirit leveled up to LV11, Mei's control over the star energy ocean and her manipulative abilities increased dramatically. She could now treat the entire planetary system as a vessel traversing the cosmos. Using the star energy ocean as propulsion, she could easily accelerate to faster-than-light speeds without causing any discomfort to life on the planet.
In other words,
Mei could directly launch an entire planetary system as a projectile. After pinpointing the Northern Cross Civilization, she propelled her planetary system toward their location.
The first to notice the anomaly were the astronomical observation teams. Initially, they detected a speeding celestial body. Later, they realized their entire star system was accelerating towards a specific direction—a discovery that terrified them.
This extraordinary phenomenon was undoubtedly terrifying, but humanity was helpless. They couldn't stop the star system's movement.
The Allied Council only wanted to know the cause of their star system's accelerated displacement.
...
The Northern Cross Civilization was 60 light-years away. Even traveling at faster-than-light speeds, Mei's star system would take 20 years to reach its destination.
Unless Mei's life level increased again during that time, becoming a higher-level Star Spirit capable of manipulating greater power within the star energy ocean.
Unfortunately, Tyrant was the only Level 5 Star Beast on this planet. The bacterial mats couldn't cultivate any more Level 5 Star Beasts. Furthermore, due to Shiro devouring countless Star Beast spores, the planet's life force was severely depleted; now even Level 4 Star Beast spores were scarce.
The effects of this life force depletion would soon manifest on the surface: vegetation would wither, ecosystems would collapse, and devastating tremors would become increasingly frequent.
The threat of Star Beasts would diminish, but humanity's struggle for survival would only be beginning—and they were completely unaware of it.
Mei, having nothing better to do, retrieved a fist-sized piece of meat from her Personal Spatial Storage. The meat was a vibrant crimson, pulsating like a heart.
Higher-level Star Beasts had a higher drop rate of items. Mei knew this best. Shiro had devoured countless Star Beast spores, and Mei's Personal Spatial Storage was now overflowing with the resulting equipment, items, and abilities.
As the planet's only Level 5 Star Beast, Tyrant had yielded several pieces of equipment and items for Mei. However, these items were essentially useless to Mei in her current state. Only certain unique items piqued her interest, and this piece of meat was one such item.
——
[Item Acquired: Tyrant's Heart]
[Type: Item]
[Description: This piece of meat contains Tyrant's consciousness. If consumed by a living being, Tyrant's consciousness can usurp the body and be resurrected.]
——
This item hadn't been appraised, but it was at least Tier 3. Tyrant's power was above Tier 2 but below Tier 3. Mei considered when to resurrect Tyrant; some tasks didn't require her personal intervention. She could simply delegate them to Tyrant.
However, this piece of meat only contained Tyrant's consciousness. His resurrected power would depend entirely on the strength of the body he possessed.
Mei current planet was known as the Water Planet, and its star system was named the Venus System. In the fifth year of the Venus System's journey toward the Northern Cross Civilization, a group of people arrived outside the canyon where Mei resided.
Lucia, Jayce, Flashy, and Luo Changkong, a recent Starkiller recruit, were among them. They were on a mission from the Allied Council to investigate the origin of the Star Beasts.
Star Beast spore traces weren't perfectly concealed. Over the years, the Allied Council finally detected their existence and pinpointed their origin to the canyon.
The stakes were high. For this operation, the Allied Council assembled numerous high-level Starkillers, aiming to eliminate the Star Beast threat at its source.
The plan was sound, but the Allied Council hadn't anticipated that the Starkillers couldn't penetrate the canyon's depths. An invisible energy barrier blocked their advance.
Lucia unleashed a powerful strike against the energy barrier, but it remained unmoved. She frowned, "The barrier is incredibly strong."
"Let me try."
Then Flashy unleashed his most powerful attack, yet it had no effect on the barrier. Even when all the high-level Starkillers present attacked simultaneously, the barrier remained completely intact.
Half an hour later,
A hydrogen bomb fell from the sky. Upon impact with the energy shield, it emitted an incredibly bright flash. Its temperature, exceeding hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, was capable of destroying all matter on the planet. The violently expanding atmosphere then violently contracted, delivering two successive shocks to the energy barrier.
To completely eliminate the Star Beast threat, the Allied Council spared no expense. A single hydrogen bomb was insignificant; if necessary, the global nuclear arsenal would unleash a relentless nuclear barrage.
Once the explosion subsided, the Allied Council inquired, "What's the situation?"
"..."
Lucia's hand pressed against the energy barrier. After a moment of silence, she replied, "The barrier is still intact. I recommend increasing the yield and extending the bombardment."
"Understood. Please evacuate the target area immediately. The second nuclear strike will commence in twenty minutes."
"Understood."
When the first hydrogen bomb failed, a shadow of despair fell over everyone's hearts. The subsequent attempts were merely born of unwillingness to accept defeat.
They had finally found the source of the Star Beasts, only to find themselves unable to even breach the entrance. This failure was almost crushing.
Another round of bombardment yielded no miracle. The barrier remained impervious to the sustained hydrogen bomb attack, completely unyielding.
"Damn it!"
A Starkiller roared in frustration.
Lucia stared into the canyon's depths, witnessing countless Star Beast spores rising on air currents, effortlessly penetrating the barrier and dispersing in all directions.
"Trouble…"
Luo Changkong sighed inwardly. His Main Mission was in its final stage; he only needed to verify the truth behind the Star Beasts to complete it, yet he was stuck here.
This was Mei's goal. The final Hyperdimensional Space Main Mission was to verify the truth behind the world's destruction or ruin. As long as she prevented the Void Wanderers from completing their final Main Mission, she could prolong her stay in this world.
Finally,
The defeated Starkillers had no choice but to retreat. While they couldn't solve the Star Beast problem at its source, they had at least located the canyon.
The Allied Council could intercept and eliminate the Star Beast spores in the atmosphere, thus reducing the frequency of Star Beast outbreaks.
Therefore, the Star Beast threat could be effectively suppressed.
Before departing, a tremor shook the vicinity. Earthquakes had become increasingly common over the past few years, and while worrisome, people were gradually becoming accustomed to them.
However,
Unbeknownst to them, Jayce discovered he could hear the Voice of All Things—he could understand the planet's voice.
This wasn't just a tremor.
This was the planet groaning!
Gaia, the planet's consciousness, lacked emotions and feelings. However, when this information reached humanity, they interpreted it through their own emotional lens, thus understanding it as groaning or other emotional expressions.
The planet's life force was severely depleted, the environment was deteriorating, and natural disasters were becoming increasingly frequent. The planet was entering a countdown to destruction, and humanity faced a bleak future.
Jayce's intuition told him the root cause lay beneath that canyon, yet they couldn't access it. At that moment, the tremors intensified.
This time, mixed with the groaning was a sense of desperate fear, leaving Jayce utterly bewildered. He couldn't understand what the planet was afraid of.
...
In the sixth year of the Venus System's journey, the Allied Council's interception and elimination of Star Beast spores outside the Great Canyon reduced the frequency of Star Beast outbreaks to an all-time low.
Conversely, environmental degradation became increasingly apparent. Upon realizing this, the Allied Council immediately launched monitoring and research into the planet's condition.
The results were terrifying. Studies indicated increased tectonic activity; future tremors would be more frequent and intense. Vast swathes of land were becoming deserts. Unless humanity could establish a self-sufficient survival system within fifteen years, the Water Planet's civilization would face extinction.
It was a confluence of disasters.
A year passed. Jayce once again arrived outside the Great Canyon. His intuition told him the truth lay beneath. If so, the canyon's winds would reveal it all.
Among the Starkillers, only he, capable of hearing the Voice of All Things, could search for the truth in this way.
Whoosh—
A powerful gust of wind erupted from the canyon's depths. Jayce stood outside the energy barrier, silently listening to the wind's whispers. Soon, a strange odor drifted on the wind. The Voice of All Things identified it as bacterial mats—mats actively gestating Star Beasts.
Beyond that, within the canyon's depths, were a human and a Star Beast.
"A human?"
The existence of the bacterial mats was unexpected, and the presence of a Star Beast in the canyon wasn't surprising, but a human…?
At that moment,
A figure flashed in Jayce's mind—a figure shrouded in a distorting light, their face forever obscured.
Without exaggeration, this was the most powerful person on the planet. If there was a formidable mastermind behind the scenes, Jayce would immediately suspect this person.
That said, Jayce couldn't confirm Mei was the mastermind. Mei and Shiro's life levels were too high to leave behind such a scent trace, making it impossible for Jayce to judge their identities.
However,
The combination of a human and a Star Beast—Jayce felt that the person below must be Mei, remembering she kept a Star Beast.
A super-Star Beast with an energy level of 7.3.
Suddenly,
Boom——
Another tremor shook the canyon's surroundings. Jayce had almost become accustomed to the planet's groans, but this was different.
This was the effect of the person below altering the Venus System's course. The tremors carried the truth to Jayce, causing him to involuntarily take two steps back, his face pale.
Altering the Venus System's course?
What in the world…?
The person in the canyon was the one manipulating the Venus System's movement? This truth was utterly shocking to Jayce.
He'd often considered the limits of human power, but never imagined someone capable of single-handedly moving an entire star system.
Yet, it was true.
Such a being was no longer human; they were a true deity!
Before such immense power, humanity and Star Beasts were insignificant. No wonder the Allied Council's nuclear strikes had been ignored by the entity below.
They simply didn't care.
Jayce's heart pounded. The revelation left him reeling. He was lost, uncertain where the entity below intended to take the Venus System, and utterly powerless to stop them.
That person controlled the bacterial mats gestating Star Beast spores. They couldn't even breach the barrier, let alone eliminate the Star Beasts—a cruel joke.
When Lucia saw Jayce again, he was disheveled, appearing utterly broken, his will completely shattered.
She was even more astonished.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing."
Jayce shook his head, asking, "Anything new?"
"The Venus System's movement is causing great concern; they're scrambling to formulate new countermeasures. High-level Starkillers are all deployed."
"Forget it."
Jayce showed no interest in investing his energy into these matters; it was pointless. Before the power capable of moving an entire star system, humanity's efforts were insignificant.
Their continued survival was purely down to luck. Perhaps one day, the entity below would be in a bad mood and casually destroy the planet.
Jayce was consumed by pessimism. Knowing too much had made him cynical. Humanity was powerless against the truth behind these disasters, which is why he hadn't informed the Allied Council.
"Don't bother me with these meetings anymore. Just send me any missions assigned from above; I don't want to be involved in anything else."
...
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed since the Venus System's departure. Deep within the Great Canyon, ripples stirred in the star energy ocean, and Mei's form slowly materialized, emerging from the star energy ocean back into the real world.
After twenty years of faster-than-light travel, the Venus System was finally nearing the Northern Cross Civilization's star system. Looking up, one could see the brilliant sun, and not far from it, a fainter celestial body—the star of the Northern Cross Civilization's system.
In the final stage of the journey, Mei willed it, and ripples in the star energy ocean impacted the entire Venus System, slowing its speed before it plunged into the Northern Cross Civilization's star system.
Under the influence of gravity, the two stars intertwined, forming a binary star system. Simultaneously, propelled by star energy, the planets of both systems merged in a short period, forming stable orbits around each other under mutual gravitational forces.
"Ooh!"
Shiro stared at the two suns in the sky, utterly amazed. Mei habitually stretched, feeling exceptionally good. She sighed, "Finally here."
As she spoke, Mei sensed the Northern Cross star's energy, immediately realizing that this life-sustaining planet possessed an extremely vibrant life force, perfectly suited for cultivating bacterial mats.
"Seems my luck is in."
Mei's heart leaped with joy. After carefully confirming that no power on the Northern Cross planet posed a threat, she vanished along with the bacterial mats.
The star energy ocean served as a conduit. As a Star Spirit, Mei instantly arrived on the Northern Cross planet, met by a vibrant expanse of lush greenery, brimming with powerful life.
This would do.
Mei decisively spread the bacterial mats across a mountain valley. The moment the mats touched the ground, roots sprouted, rapidly penetrating the earth and voraciously absorbing the Northern Cross planet's life force.
Instantly, the surrounding vegetation withered, and the once vibrant valley quickly transformed into a barren wasteland.
Outside the valley, a massive flock of birds took flight, appearing like a dark cloud overhead. A middle-aged man with a sword strapped to his waist observed this, his expression immediately grave.
"The planet's life force… it's draining away?"