Chapter 242: Human, Begin Your Last Words

A day later, four utterly exhausted bodies drifted through the starry sky.

Their physical bodies were gone, their Spirit Platforms were damaged, and their Laws were depleted. Now, even an Eighth Rank Martial Artist could easily finish off these four Ninth Rank Transcendents.

However, Jiang Yan did not seize this opportunity to strike.

“Where’s the other one?”

He remembered that five Ninth Rank Transcendents had been chasing him at the time, so why were there only four bodies now?

He waited for about half a day more.

A figure clad in a black cloak appeared in the depths of space.

The newcomer glanced at the scattered remains drifting nearby—the four Ninth Rank Transcendent powerhouses who had been so formidable just half a day earlier.

“Hahahahaha! As expected, the one who endures till the end is the true winner!”

“The treasures, the Boundary Stones—they’re all mine now! Hahahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The hoarse voice startled the weaker Transcendent Creatures spectating from a distance, causing them to retreat in haste.

The four severely wounded Ninth Rank powerhouses were already difficult to deal with, and now a fully intact Ninth Rank had arrived. How could they possibly hope to claim a share of the spoils?

“Hmph, trying to run?”

The cloaked figure casually waved a hand, and a sinister mass of Ghost Qi transformed into a skull that chased after the fleeing crowd.

In just half a second, the Ghost Qi dissipated, leaving behind only a dozen or so white skeletons, completely devoured.

“Hmph! Now, all the treasures are mine!”

The cloaked figure released his Ghost Qi, and the four barely alive Ninth Rank Transcendents turned into withered white skeletons.

Four Spatial Rings floated in the void.

From within the cloak, a pair of eyes gleamed with a sickly green light.

With a sweep of his hand, the Spatial Rings began to fly toward his palm.

But at that moment.

A calm space suddenly revealed a surge of gray Saber Qi, faintly tainted with an incredibly malevolent Law. Hidden beneath the gray Saber Qi were countless fragmented consciousnesses lurking in the shadows.

[System Log Updated]

“You have triggered the Instant Kill Law, successfully eliminating the target.”

“Whew, that was an exhilarating battle.”

Jiang Yan revealed his true form, gathering all the Spatial Rings into his hand with a single motion. He glanced around.

Hmm, the cloaked figure had cleaned up quite thoroughly—no outsiders remained.

With a flick of his hand, flames erupted, reducing the cloak and the yet-unseen face to nothingness.

Jiang Yan weighed the Boundary Stone in his hand, smiled faintly, and casually tossed it aside.

Then he turned and left without a hint of attachment.

The Boundary Stone drifted through the starry sky at a steady speed and along a fixed trajectory, its destination unknown, uncertain whose fortunate hands it would eventually fall into.

Three days later, Jiang Yan returned to Blue Star.

The Spatial Rings were sealed with Law-based Restrictions. Forcing them open would likely damage the treasures inside.

Thus.

Cultivation—it was still cultivation.

Having witnessed the battle of the Ninth Rank powerhouses, Jiang Yan truly realized how weak his own strength was. Facing one opponent, he still had some confidence, but if surrounded and hunted, escaping would be extremely difficult.

“I’m still too weak. If I could comprehend a complete Law, I believe I could become invincible even among Ninth Rank Transcendents, right?”

But nearly half a month had passed since he last grasped a “trace” of the Life and Death Law Embryo. Jiang Yan was still far from achieving a complete Embryo, let alone a full Law—the gap was immense.

For the following week, Jiang Yan did not return to the Battle Space to select Instances. Instead, he focused wholeheartedly on seated meditation and cultivation, spending his spare time studying the dozen or so cultivation manuals from various powerful Transcendent Civilizations.

In the Starry Sky, upon a silvery-white planet.

Its surface is mottled and ancient, covered in impact craters of varying sizes. There are no blue skies or white clouds, nor rivers, lakes, or seas—only an endless expanse of profound darkness and desolation.

—The Moon Star.

A gray figure stood upon the surface of the Moon Star, its body covered in Runes, with the Qi of life and death circulating around it. Its horns were prominent, and its face was contorted.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a weak Star Domain…”

The Sky Demon exerted force with its foot, causing the surface of the Moon Star below to collapse. Cracks formed in the entire planetary core, and an unparalleled seismic upheaval, more violent than the sum of all meteorite impacts over countless eons, shook the world.

“Such feeble lives… I wonder what will happen if I step on them?”

Boom!

The Sky Demon kicked and shattered the space installations arrayed on the Moon Star. The inverted triangle symbol of the Star Star had not yet been replaced by Blue Star, which had just become the victorious nation.

The Sky Demon closed its eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them again. A sickly smile was half-hidden by its right hand, while its other crimson pupil gazed obsessively at the “inverted triangle” emblem.

“Hmm, let’s start with this planet.”

…

Star Star.

The first batch of Blue Star’s military forces successfully stationed themselves on Star Star.

As a subsidiary planet of Blue Star, Star Star would henceforth lose its own sovereignty.

At this moment, a group of soldiers wore smiles that had not been seen in a long time, their expressions dazed as they looked upon the planet they were about to take over.

Star Star—the powerful planet that had nearly annihilated their Blue Star’s people, the dominant force they had fought with all their might but could not defeat, the Transcendent Civilization that had driven them back to Blue Star, forcing them to rely on the Battle Exemption Privilege to barely survive—

Now, it was theirs?!

Disbelief, joy, pride… these emotions intertwined on the faces of these soldiers.

How many years had Blue Star been beaten?

It seemed that ever since their planet’s coordinates were discovered, they had been constantly watched by those ambitious forces. These soldiers had to remain vigilant at all times against invasions by alien races.

With Fierce Beasts within and alien races without, their battlefields had shifted time and again, and they had witnessed comrades disappearing beside them at every moment.

The accumulation of life and bloodshed had forged this weak but stubborn civilization!

Now, they would finally retreat no more, worry no more, because this time—

We are the victors!

“Orders from above: Do not harm civilians. Strictly discipline your subordinates. Violators will be dealt with according to the Wartime Regulations!”

The intervention of alien soldiers brought immense unease to the native inhabitants of Star Star. Most of them were merely civilians; their high-end Combat Power had long perished on the battlefield, and the remaining residents were no match for these brave and battle-hardened Blue Star soldiers.

Just as they thought a disaster was about to befall them, they discovered that these fully armed aliens were exceptionally well-disciplined.

“They’re not looting or killing?”

“Didn’t they invade our planet for our resources?”

“You are the invaders.” At that moment, a Blue Star officer passed by and patted the shoulder of the incredulous Star Star native.

The latter froze, unable to utter a word.

“Everything is getting better.”

An elderly officer gazed at the vast and mighty Blue Star army and the fluttering banners.

His voice choked with emotion, and two clear streams of tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.

“How many years has it been? We—finally—have peace.”

Boom! At that moment, a deep pit appeared out of thin air on the ground, and smoke filled the entire city. A phantom-like figure slowly emerged from the dust.

“Hello, everyone.”

As the dust settled, the being covered in sinister Runes gradually came into view.

Swish, swish, swish!

Countless firearms were immediately aimed at the figure.

“Who are you!”

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t point those toys at me.”

A mocking, deliberately frightened voice came from the figure.

Then, he slowly approached the elderly officer, his crimson, bloodthirsty pupils locking eyes with him.

“Human, begin your last words.”