Chapter 274: The Star Demons' Origins

The six of them soared through the air, with Jiang Changkong once again transforming into the Holy Sun.

Unfortunately, the data kept fluctuating without showing any increase.

Fortunately, this time he had gained quite a bit—14,361 mid-grade eighth-tier Star Crystals.

As for low-grade eighth-tier Star Crystals, there were only two thousand pieces.

It seemed these Star Demons looked down on low-grade ones.

The five Special Starstones would be better left for Professor Yun and the others.

They could be used to pilot mechs or sold in exchange for other items.

As for the “Essence, Qi, and Spirit,” he no longer cared for it.

Once he reached his base, he would excavate the two large mineral veins, which should bring him a decent haul.

Moreover, there was still a Star Body Peak Star Demon waiting for him to deal with.

The future was still full of hope!

After that, there were no further disturbances, and the journey remained peaceful.

An Shanhe led them past clusters of buildings. Midway, two Star Embryo Martial Artists departed—they had reached their destination.

By evening, Jiang Changkong finally arrived at his own base—Number Fifty-Three.

Originally an Uncharted Land, it now had some structures built.

The buildings were constructed from high-quality materials, though not of the highest grade.

Still, they were decent, made from mid-tier materials.

One of the buildings was crafted from high-grade stone, sturdy enough to withstand attacks from Star Embryo Martial Artists.

Once Professor Yun and the others arrived, combined with some Star Arrays and equipment, it would be sufficient to fend off Star Embryo Martial Artists.

In the Void Realm, this was considered quite a respectable setup.

The three families hadn’t cut corners with him.

“I still need to escort them further. You can take a look around your base first,” An Shanhe said.

Jiang Changkong nodded. “Alright.”

“Brother Changkong, would you like to visit our place? It might get lonely here by yourself,” Hai Tianhe invited.

“I’ll come by when I have the chance. For now, I’d like to familiarize myself with my own territory,” Jiang Changkong politely declined.

Hai Tianhe replied, “In that case, we’ll take our leave. Brother Changkong, you must come find us! We’re right by the sea.”

The Void Realm also had seas, and the oceans teemed with endless Star Demons.

Martial Artists from the Overseas Islands, being more familiar with the sea-dwelling Star Demons, occupied the coastal areas.

Major Provinces and Ordinary Provinces belonged to inland regions.

Jiang Changkong’s territory was considered part of the Overseas Islands, yet it didn’t belong to them—it was exclusively his own domain.

Taking out his phone, he thought for a moment and decided to contact Huo Qinglan and the others first.

The Star Body Peak Star Demon wasn’t going anywhere. It was better to make arrangements so Professor Yun and the others would be taken care of when they arrived.

Dialing Huo Qinglan’s number, Jiang Changkong said with a smile, “Officer Huo Qinglan, I’ve arrived in the Void Realm.”

“Am I the first one you contacted?” Huo Qinglan chuckled softly. “I’ll be right over.”

“No need to rush. I’ll notify the three families,” Jiang Changkong hung up and contacted Yao Qing, Heng Xi, and Nan Zhaokong.

All three insisted on coming personally and hung up before he could respond.

Jiang Changkong put away his phone and headed toward his base.

At the entrance stood a stone tablet engraved with “Number Fifty-Three.”

Inside, the buildings were completely empty—not a single piece of furniture in sight.

Equipment and instruments would have to be procured by him.

Fortunately, Professor Yun and the others would bring them along when they arrived, so he didn’t need to worry about it.

Two hours later, a green glow appeared in the night sky as a jade-green sphere flew over—Huo Qinglan was the first to arrive.

“Changkong,” the sphere dissipated, revealing Huo Qinglan in an emerald-green robe, wearing a faint smile.

“We’re here too.”

A crimson sphere, a full moon, and a blazing sun arrived simultaneously.

“You came all this way personally, but I have nothing to offer for your arrival. Would you care for some Humanoid Star Demon?”

Jiang Changkong shrugged and took out a Star Demon corpse.

Nan Zhaokong laughed, “We’re here precisely to eat this Star Demon.”

“Really eat it? It’s still humanoid, after all.” Jiang Changkong frowned slightly; he had only been joking.

“Today, we’re here to give you a lesson on the evolutionary history of Star Demons.”

Huo Qinglan said calmly, “I don’t know if you’ve ever read ancient texts or myths.”

“Is there a connection?” Jiang Changkong raised an eyebrow.

“There are similarities.” A green light flashed in Huo Qinglan’s eyes as she uttered a single word: “Demons!”

Jiang Changkong was taken aback. “Demons? Transforming into human form?”

“You could say that, but they’re not exactly demons. According to the Federation’s theories, demons should be plants or animals that absorbed Star Power and cultivated to become what they are.”

Huo Qinglan explained, “But after the great upheaval of the world, with the invasion of Star Demons, plants and animals nearly went extinct. Add to that human consumption, so demons no longer exist.”

“During the interstellar expeditions, we found that many stars in the cosmos were occupied by Star Demons. Based on the Star Scripts we obtained, we learned some of the history of the cosmos…”

In the cosmos, some stars have life, while others do not.

No one knows what happened in the cosmos, but starlight fell upon Earth, and Star Demons appeared along with it.

That great upheaval in the cosmos gave birth to the Star Demons.

On some life-bearing planets, the life forms were not human. They simply seized opportunities to absorb Star Power, cultivate, and grow stronger.

“The weaker Star Demons we see are merely those whose bodies have grown larger, their minds shattered by the impact of power.

Those who retained some semblance of reason are Special Star Demons. They’ve learned a move or two, fragments of martial arts.”

Huo Qinglan elaborated, “As for the higher-level Star Demons, they seized more opportunities and learned more.”

Nan Zhaokong added, “Star Demons, like us, are pursuing the path of cultivation, transforming and growing stronger, learning more martial arts.”

Jiang Changkong understood now—they were extraterrestrial life forms that had transformed.

Just like humans absorbing Star Power to cultivate, except humans didn’t have as many mutated varieties.

“The transformation of Star Demons began long before humans. They have more powerful individuals among them than we do.”

Heng Xi said, “Or rather, anything in the cosmos that isn’t human is called a Star Demon. But they refer to themselves as the Star Clan, the race that inhabits the cosmos.”

“What about the Void Realm?” Jiang Changkong asked.

Huo Qinglan replied, “The Void Realm also descended during that great upheaval and has since merged with Earth.

Star Demons are also exploring its mysteries. According to Star Script records, many remnants of powerful beings are hidden here.”

“So, these Star Demons are edible?” Jiang Changkong blinked.

“As long as they’re not highly toxic, there’s nothing we can’t eat.” Nan Zhaokong said, “But don’t eat high-level Star Demons—it’s too extravagant. We brought some mid-level ones, already cooked, with wine and dishes.”

Huo Qinglan waved her hand, and a green light flashed, transforming into several green vine chairs. “Have a seat.”

“Your mastery of the Near-God Technique is becoming more and more refined,” Heng Xi praised.

Huo Qinglan smiled faintly. “Your strength is also growing. I believe it won’t be long before you all reach the stellar level.”

Jiang Changkong said, “Enough with the mutual flattery. Tell me why you’re really here. I don’t believe you came all this way just for a meal.”

All this back-and-forth praise was more than he could bear.

Huo Qinglan’s expression darkened slightly, growing more serious: “I came to see you to also inquire about the ambush incident.”

“An Shanhe should have reported everything to you. As for the Immortal Palace’s intelligence division, I don’t know the specifics either.” Jiang Changkong shook his head.

“Really not even a hint of information?” Nan Zhaokong and the other two frowned.

Jiang Changkong shook his head: “If I had any, I would have acted long ago.”

The four exchanged glances and asked: “How much do you know about Liangqiu Xuanyi?”

Jiang Changkong’s brow twitched—Liangqiu Xuanyi? Could it be that she had also informed them?