Younger brother Luo Hua was overwhelmed with excitement and quickly contacted the others. Soon, the entire family gathered. Even ‘Hong’ and ‘Thunder God’ showed up.
“What, Xiao Feng, you’re going to be gone for that long?” Mother Gong Xinlan couldn’t help but exclaim. Thanks to a wealth of treasures that improved their physiques, both she and Father Luo Hongguo looked youthful, as if in their thirties.
“It is quite a long time,” Father Luo Hongguo added.
“The most important thing is,” Luo Hua hurriedly said, “it’ll take three years just to get there and another three to come back. Plus, you’ll be staying at the Virtual Universe Company’s global headquarters for a long time, and comprehending in the Initial Universe will take a hundred years! That’s just…”
Luo Feng sat there, feeling uneasy.
He had just received an email from the Virtual Universe Company, informing him that they would pick him up at Bailan Star in 12 days. The email also mentioned that the comprehension period in the ‘Initial Universe’ would last 30 years, but due to the different time flow rates between the Initial Universe and the Original Universe, 30 years in the Initial Universe equated to 100 years in the Original Universe.
The good news was—
In the Initial Universe, one could still access the ‘Virtual Universe Network.’
“Hm?” Luo Feng felt a tight grip on his hand and turned to see his wife, Xu Xin, still in her professional attire, holding his hand tightly, her eyes filled with reluctance.
“It’s okay, darling,” Luo Feng gently patted the back of her hand.
“Dad, Mom, it’s not as bad as you think. Even though I’ll be leaving Earth, we can still be together all the time in the Virtual Universe Network,” Luo Feng said, forcing a smile. “The Virtual Universe Network is a 100% simulation, no different from meeting in reality.”
“They say it’s 100% simulated, but Dad, it’s still not reality,” Luo Hai couldn’t help but say.
Luo Feng reached out and pulled his two sons close to his side.
…
Reluctant to part.
The family was truly reluctant to part, but Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan had lived through the ‘Great Nirvana Period,’ and the younger generation, like Luo Hua, had experienced the ‘Devouring Beast Catastrophe’ and other crises. After surviving Earth’s many calamities and gaining a broader perspective with knowledge of the universe, they understood that Luo Feng’s decision was the right one.
“Third Brother, you’re doing the right thing,” Hong said on the green lawn in front of Luo Feng’s residence in Nine Star Bay. Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God stood together.
“I see it clearly,” Hong, dressed in black, said with a distant gaze. “Back when I was young, during the Great Nirvana Period, I witnessed countless tragedies and the deaths of countless compatriots. I realized then that humanity needs someone to step up. Without a leader, it won’t work! That’s why I later founded the ‘Extreme Martial Hall,’ creating a competitive system to elevate the strength of all human warriors.”
“However!”
“The universe is a thousand times, ten thousand times more dangerous than Earth,” Hong sighed. “The competition is far crueler. Look, there are millions of human races, but some are entirely enslaved.”
Luo Feng nodded, and so did Thunder God.
“Why are they enslaved? Because their race lacks true superpowers, and the race itself isn’t strong enough!” Hong shook his head. “If their race had even one Immortal, even if that Immortal wasn’t with the race but elsewhere in the universe, just the existence of one Immortal… would deter slave traders from acting recklessly. That’s deterrence!”
“For an indigenous race.”
“Entering the universe for the first time has three possible outcomes. One, they become a vassal, which is still bearable. Two, they’re directly enslaved, treated like commodities—women sold as maids or even sex slaves, men forced into highly dangerous work. The third outcome… is to rise and become one of the stronger human races in the universe. Like our Earth now!”
“Earth’s people haven’t been enslaved, and no one dares to trample on us!”
“Because, Third Brother!” Hong looked at Luo Feng. “You, you are the Lord of the Milky Way! The Lord of the Milky Way is an Earthling, and this Lord has entered the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company, holding a high position in the ‘Primordial Secret Realm.’ Even the Black Dragon Mountain Empire doesn’t dare act recklessly, and even the Ganwu Universe Kingdom values you. With this, who would dare bully Earth’s people? Who would dare?”
Luo Feng took a deep breath.
“Third Brother, you’re doing well,” Hong said solemnly, taking a deep breath. “For a human race to rise, especially when it’s still young, someone must step up. There must be pioneers!”
“Third Brother, Second Brother, and I—we’re all still very weak right now!”
“Third Brother is doing well because he rose in the Genius Battle, but… being a genius doesn’t mean being a powerhouse,” Hong said gravely. “They don’t dare provoke you because of your halo and status. But if you, Third Brother, were to fall, with just the strength of me and Second Brother, how could we protect Earth?”
Even Universe-level slaves are sold in the universe, and Hong and Thunder God were merely Stellar-level. How could they protect Earth?
“So!”
“Third Brother, right now, it’s up to you to hold things together,” Hong said solemnly. “Second Brother and I will work hard too. In ten thousand years, with the three of us protecting Earth, and as Earth itself produces one powerhouse after another, the momentum will build. Once Earth’s overall strength rises, we won’t need to rely solely on individual deterrence.”
When a race consistently produces Universe-level powerhouses and occasionally Domain Lords, no slave traders would dare provoke it.
“Keep it up!” Hong said earnestly.
“Don’t worry, Third Son, I’ll catch up to you soon,” Thunder God said with a cheeky grin.
“The three of us will work together,” Luo Feng grinned back.
For Earth, this was a critical era.
An era of transformation.
Whether Earth’s human race would rise to the middle or upper ranks among the countless human races in the universe, or be trampled to the bottom, doing the hardest, most dangerous work for the least pay—or even enslaved with no pay at all—depended on these ten thousand years! Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng had long been aware of this responsibility.
They were Earth’s strongest. If they didn’t shoulder this burden, who would?
…
Night.
At West Lake Courtyard in Yangzhou City, the moonlight was enchanting, streaming through the window into the bedroom.
In the bedroom, under thin blankets, two figures entwined passionately, as if venting all their reluctance in a frenzy. For a long, long time…
Luo Feng, wearing a bathrobe, walked to the balcony and silently looked up at the moon.
This was his hometown’s moon!
Earth’s moon!
For at least the next hundred years, he wouldn’t see this sight.
“Tomorrow, you’re leaving?” Xu Xin, also in a bathrobe, hugged Luo Feng from behind, gently pressing against his back.
“Yeah.”
Luo Feng nodded slightly. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? We’re an old married couple,” Xu Xin said, moving to his side and looking at the moon with a smile. “Time flies. In the blink of an eye, we’ve been married for over ten years.”
“It has been fast,” Luo Feng nodded.
Over ten years since their marriage, there had been sea beast attacks on base cities, the Devouring Beast Catastrophe, the arrival of the Nuolanshan Family fleet, the life-and-death treasure hunt in the World Within a World, and the recent five-to-six-year-long Peak Genius Battle… Behind all these events was his wife’s silent support.
“Remember back in high school?” Xu Xin smiled. “You were still a senior student at the martial hall.”
“And you were still that simple girl,” Luo Feng laughed.
“It was mainly my grandfather. He made me go to a regular high school, not an elite one,” Xu Xin said. “He also forbade me from revealing our family’s status or getting into relationships… But honestly, the rise of our Xu family really was thanks to my grandfather. He’s a wise man.”
Luo Feng nodded.
After the Great Nirvana Period, when base cities were first established, the Xu family had little background. Yet, Grandfather Xu had built it up step by step into what it was today—an extraordinary figure.
“You used to sneak looks at me all the time,” Xu Xin laughed.
“Haha,” Luo Feng chuckled.
“I caught you so many times, and every time I did, you’d get shy—worse than me,” Xu Xin teased.
…
That night, the couple talked for a long time. They even flew out of Yangzhou City, visiting various places on Earth.
They saw the pyramids in Egypt, the ancient Great Wall, and some ruined cities in the wilderness where they’d left their mark years ago…
Finally, they stood by the Yellow River.
The Yellow River was teeming with aquatic beasts, but Luo Feng stood silently on the bank, grabbing a handful of soil from the shore and scooping some river water into a bowl, storing them in his space ring. Xu Xin watched quietly by his side.
“Let’s go back,” Luo Feng said, taking Xu Xin’s hand.
Whoosh!
A domain formed a light barrier, turning into a golden meteor as they flew back to Yangzhou City.
…
September 18, 2071.
Earth’s peak powerhouse, ‘Luo Feng,’ boarded a spaceship and left Earth. This departure would last a very, very long time, and by the time he returned, the world would have changed dramatically.
…
Bailan Star.
“Master!” The servant guard saluted respectfully.
“Mm.”
Luo Feng turned to his two soul-bound servants, both Universe-level ninth-stage, Di Fan and Bai Kaluo, and said seriously, “Di Fan, Bai Kaluo, this time I’m going to the Virtual Universe Company’s global headquarters to enter the Initial Universe. It’s impossible to bring anyone else along, so you’ll have to stay on Earth for now.”
“Understood.”
Di Fan and Bai Kaluo nodded.
“I’ve already taught you the secret techniques. If you have any questions, you can contact me through the Virtual Universe Network,” Luo Feng said earnestly. “With your talents and the techniques I’ve given you, I expect you’ll reach the Domain Lord level by the time I see you next.”
Both servants were highly talented, but one had been a slave, and the other’s teacher had only been someone of ‘Nuolanshan’ caliber, lacking access to true masters or advanced techniques.
In the universe, many powerhouses lack proper teachers or techniques. With a great teacher, the odds of becoming a powerhouse can increase tenfold.
“Hm?”
Luo Feng turned to see an ancient, pitch-black, sword-shaped spaceship slowly descending from the sky.
“I have to go,” Luo Feng said solemnly to Di Fan and Bai Kaluo. “While I’m gone, protect my family. As for Earth’s safety… with the Virtual Universe Company’s deterrence, no one will dare provoke Earth.”
“Yes, Master.”
Di Fan and Bai Kaluo responded respectfully.
Luo Feng then flew directly toward the ancient spaceship in the distance.
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