Northeast Base City, China.
“Dad!”
A beautiful young woman stared at the live broadcast on the screen and murmured painfully. Then she suddenly stood up and rushed into her study. The man and child watching the broadcast in the living room looked confused and surprised.
Inside the study.
The young woman quickly switched on her computer, opened her email, and clicked on the latest message. Attached to the email was a video.
Biting her lip and trembling, she gently clicked the mouse.
Beep.
The video opened.
On the screen appeared the bald man in white, Thunder God.
“Xiaolei.”
For once, Thunder God was not wearing his usual carefree smile. Instead, his expression was warm and gentle.
“It has been almost sixteen years since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”
“I still remember the first time I took you to an amusement park. I remember the first time I taught you martial arts. I remember the first time I scolded you, and the first time I hit you.”
Thunder God shook his head and smiled faintly.
“I know you hate me. But even if I had the choice again, I would still kill that bastard.”
“I also know you refuse to forgive me.”
“When your mother left you in my care, I promised her that you would live happily for your whole life. That you would never suffer any grievance or hardship.”
“I never imagined things would end up like this.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
“In a little while, your Uncle Hong and I are heading out. This time, I probably won’t be coming back alive. After thinking about it, I decided to send you this email.”
Thunder God rubbed his bald head.
“Xiaolei, don’t worry. Your dad will definitely kill that Devouring Beast.”
“I told you before, I would never let you suffer. That was my promise to your mother, and my promise to you.”
“Your dad will always love you.”
Thunder God smiled gently.
The video ended.
“Woo… woo…”
The young woman collapsed onto the desk and burst into tears. Her sobbing would not stop.
Only when something was lost did one truly understand the pain.
“Dad… Dad… Dad, come back. Come back. I was wrong. I was wrong.”
She cried uncontrollably, almost screaming from grief.
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind.
Her mother had died early. She had been raised entirely by Thunder God. He had doted on her endlessly, showering her with affection.
But when she was sixteen, because of her first love, Thunder God had killed her boyfriend.
The pampered Lei Lei had become furious. She ran away from home and left harsh words behind.
At this moment.
She suddenly realised how deep her father’s love for her had truly been.
On the outer wall of the satellite city surrounding Kyoto Base City, Jia Yi was inspecting wounded soldiers.
“Don’t move. Lie down and get some proper rest,” Jia Yi said.
“Yes, Commander,” replied a young soldier covered in bandages and missing limbs.
Jia Yi straightened up.
“Commander.”
A guard ran over.
“What is it?” Jia Yi asked.
The guard lowered his voice.
“Commander, Liu Ning has been killed.”
Liu Ning was the youngest of Jia Yi’s personal disciples, only nineteen years old. Jia Yi had always been particularly fond of this young student.
When the war began, nearly all of Jia Yi’s disciples had been sent to the battlefield.
“Oh.”
Jia Yi merely responded with a single word.
Only a slight twitch in his facial muscles betrayed his emotions.
“Xiaoning…”
Jia Yi silently repeated the name in his heart.
He looked around the medical camp.
Many injured soldiers were holding mobile phones, looking at photographs or reading letters.
“They’re all so young…”
Jia Yi felt immense sorrow, yet there was nothing he could do.
Hong and Thunder God’s failure had plunged Earth’s leaders into despair.
Furthermore, Luo Feng had informed them that the Liquid Silver Guards had absolutely no chance of killing the Devouring Beast.
That made the situation even more painful.
However.
While the leadership despaired, the public broadcasts told a different story.
The worldwide broadcast was still ongoing.
It was replaying earlier battle footage while claiming that Hong and Thunder God were merely severely injured rather than dead.
It also claimed that the two silver giants were newly developed technological weapons created by humanity.
Humanity still had hope.
This filled countless ordinary people with hope.
Countless soldiers continued fighting.
Luo Feng had already returned home.
The television was on in the living room.
“These two silver giants are the latest technological creations jointly developed by nations around the world. Just as humanity has done for thousands of years, we will win this war!”
Hearing the voice from the television, Luo Feng could no longer endure it.
He immediately left the living room and headed to the rooftop on the third floor.
On the rooftop.
The cool breeze cleared his mind slightly.
“It’s useless, Luo Feng. Give up,” Babata urged. “Earth has no hope left. If others die, they die. You can’t stop it.”
“This isn’t about one or two deaths. It’s about countless people.”
Luo Feng could not suppress his anger.
“Can I really stand by and watch countless teenagers, children, and babies die? Can I watch Earth become a paradise for monsters? Can I watch humanity disappear? There must be a way. There has to be.”
The thought of Earth becoming the territory of monsters was a nightmare.
“The soul is the foundation of life.”
Luo Feng’s eyes lit up.
“The Devouring Beast’s life force became much weaker than before. Doesn’t that mean its soul is much weaker too? Babata, tell me.”
“Uh…”
Babata hesitated.
“Answer me,” Luo Feng said angrily.
“Yes, it’s weakened. But it’s still not something a third level planetary spirit reader like you can challenge,” Babata replied.
“Babata, you said before that it’s very young. Planetary and stellar level beings can’t travel through space. It’s only at the first level of the stellar rank now, which means it was probably born on Earth. If a creature that powerful had been born long ago, humanity would have discovered it much earlier.”
“It only appeared recently, which means it was probably born not long ago.”
Luo Feng continued.
“It’s still immature. Its soul should be relatively undeveloped.”
“And it’s already suffered attacks from the B6 grade laser cannon and then from Hong and Thunder God. Two devastating blows in succession. Its strength is probably only ten or twenty percent of what it used to be.”
A spark appeared in Luo Feng’s eyes.
“If I use the desperate technique from the Meteorite Star lineage’s Secret Manual, Tower of the Void, the technique itself is already powerful. If I push it to the limit…”
“If that’s not enough, I can use the Six Pointed Star secret technique and have other Earth’s experts join me…”
Methods rapidly formed in Luo Feng’s mind.
The Meteorite Star lineage’s secret techniques were extremely powerful.
Babata had always insisted that Luo Feng study them.
Although his understanding was still shallow, the deeper techniques required power he did not yet possess.
However, he could already unleash the strongest attack currently available to him.
“Luo Feng, what nonsense are you thinking about?!”
Babata exploded in rage.
“I won’t allow it. Absolutely not. I’ve waited fifty thousand years. Fifty thousand years for a successor. I will never allow you to throw your life away!”
“I’m not throwing my life away. Didn’t Hong and Thunder God survive after burning their souls?” Luo Feng asked.
“But they’ve fallen into slumber!”
Babata roared.
“In the universe, even immortal beings who suffer severe soul damage can fall into deep sleep. Some sleep for millions of years before recovering. Others never wake up at all.”
“Hong and Thunder God aren’t dead. But they’ve entered true soul slumber.”
“Their souls were never particularly strong. If they wake up, it might happen within one or two years. Otherwise, they’ll never wake up again and will eventually die in their sleep.”
“Luo Feng, don’t do anything reckless.”
“Before I am the successor of Meteorite Star, I am Luo Feng.”
Babata grew furious.
“You want to die?”
“Babata.”
Luo Feng looked around.
“Do you think I want to die? I don’t want to die!”
“I want to see my child be born. I want to hear my child call me Dad. I want to live. More than anything.”
“But…”
Babata hesitated.
“Babata, right now I have two choices.”
“First, I can become a coward. I can watch countless fellow humans be slaughtered. Watch innocent children crying for their parents before being killed. Watch babies still drinking milk get murdered.”
“I can watch all of them die while taking my family aboard the Meteorite Star ship and hiding like a coward.”
“Then my children will be born. They’ll grow up without sunlight and without friends.”
“They’ll only know from my stories that Earth once had countless children just like them.”
“Except those children are all dead.”
“And Babata, you said before that only planetary level beings can survive independently in the universe. My wife and children, who aren’t planetary level, would face tremendous danger on other worlds.”
Babata remained silent.
It was true.
The universe was not peaceful.
Conflict existed on every planet.
A planetary level warrior travelling with ordinary people was inviting disaster.
“I need to reach the stellar rank before my family can live comfortably and safely in the universe. How long will that take? Decades?”
“Do I make my children spend decades inside a spaceship?”
Luo Feng shook his head.
“That’s a nightmare. Living isolated from society inside a ship for decades.”
“I would rather die than force my children to live like that.”
“The second choice.”
“I, Luo Feng, use the Six Pointed Star secret technique. Five planetary level warriors sacrifice their souls, form a battle array, and burn their souls.”
“Then I use the final desperate move of Tower of the Void.”
“Both are Meteorite Star secret techniques. Both involve burning the soul.”
“Against a starry sky beast reduced to ten or twenty percent of its strength, there is a real chance of success.”
“There are several possible outcomes.”
“First, success. I survive. Countless people gain hope. That’s naturally the best result.”
“Second, success, but I die.”
“But my children can live good lives. They can attend nursery school. They can have friends. My parents and Xu Xin can take care of them.”
“They’ll simply grow up without their father.”
“One day they’ll read about me in history books.”
“And I believe they’ll be proud of me.”
“Third, failure.”
“I die.”
“But the Devouring Beast will certainly be wounded even more severely, giving humanity another chance to kill it.”
Luo Feng’s expression remained calm.
“Babata, which path do you think I should choose?”
Babata wanted to argue.
Yet he could not find the words.
“Babata, honestly, ever since I became a warrior at eighteen, I have never feared death.”
“What I fear more is my children spending decades trapped aboard a spaceship.”
“What I fear more is Hong, Thunder God, and countless others sacrificing themselves for nothing.”
“Death isn’t frightening.”
“Life, ageing, sickness and death, it’s all part of the cycle.”
“I want to fight for my friends, for Wei Wen and the others.”
“I want to fight for my fellow humans.”
“I want to fight for the unborn children still growing in their mothers’ wombs, children like my own.”
“For them.”
“I’m willing to take this gamble.”
“And I’m doing it for myself too.”
Luo Feng burst into laughter.
“After all, Hong and Thunder God fought because they were Earth’s strongest martial artists.”
“But me?”
“I’m Earth’s strongest spirit reader.”
“How can I retreat? Hahaha!”
Luo Feng’s laughter left Babata silent.
How long had it been…
It had been a very long time since Babata had experienced emotions this complex.
For the first time, Babata felt genuine admiration for the successor it had always regarded as merely average in talent, a choice made only out of necessity.
“Fine. I’ll help you.”
Babata’s voice was low and solemn.
“Haha, don’t be like that. I said it’s a gamble. There’s still a chance I’ll survive.”
At that moment, Luo Feng’s mind became completely clear and tranquil.