In the Solar System, on one of the small satellites orbiting Neptune, a large gray instrument sprawled across its surface.
Beep!
Its lens was aimed at the two massive warships flying past Jupiter in the distant void.
“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
Immediately, warning lights flashed across the large instrument, and it promptly transmitted a signal.
……
Ever since the last time an interstellar exploration vessel had silently entered Earth, Luo Feng, upon leaving Earth for Bafen Star, had immediately ordered several space reconnaissance instruments, placing them on several of the Solar System’s satellites to detect the arrival of the Norland Mountain Fleet at the earliest possible moment.
……
Huaxia Country, the Hope Survival Base.
“Woo~~ woo~~~ woo~~~ woo~~~”
A piercing alarm instantly echoed throughout every level and every area of the 28th floor of the survival base. The energy shield panels on the top of the base, which had been open, immediately retracted, all large windows automatically closed, and the main access points to the base quickly sealed shut. Everything shifted into the highest state of alertness!
In the 12th underground level of the survival base.
Luo Feng’s family, Thunderclap’s family, and Hong’s family lived in this spacious mansion. Although they received slightly better treatment due to Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunderclap, each person’s living space was still only ten square meters.
“Master.”
Meng Er and Meng Si, the two powerful warriors left behind by Luo Feng, rushed in swiftly.
“The enemy fleet is approaching Earth,” Xu Xin said, glancing at the auxiliary tablet in her hand, a gift from Luo Feng. “The signal from the instruments travels at light speed, faster than the detected warships. However, the enemy’s interstellar warships will arrive on Earth in about an hour.”
Everyone in the mansion fell silent.
“I’ll inform Luo Feng and the others.”
Xu Xin immediately ran toward a nearby room where a neural interface helmet linked to an anonymous account was placed.
……
At the same moment!
The five major nations of Earth and the 23 base cities all received the news. In truth, they had long known that the Norland Mountain Family’s fleet would arrive in three months, so preparations had already been made. Now that the intelligence had arrived, all nations swiftly initiated their emergency protocols.
However…
The upper echelons of Earth’s leadership remained deeply anxious.
……
No one knew what fate awaited them.
Faced with the immense power of a formidable interstellar fleet from the cosmos, Earth was utterly defenseless. All hope rested with Luo Feng, far away on Biyan Star.
……
Biyan Star, a crucial hub surrounded by six vassal states, was an official military outpost of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. The empire mainly used this planet to maintain dominance over six surrounding vassal states, including the Yinlan Empire.
Biyan Star was bustling with activity.
At a seaside hotel, Luo Feng and his companions had rented a private villa.
“Today is already February 21st. The Norland Mountain Family’s fleet should arrive on Earth any day now,” Thunderclap stood outside the villa, gazing at the endless ocean with a furrowed brow. “Hong, the third brother still hasn’t broken through! Could it really be too late… If that’s the case, we’ll have no choice but to…”
“Endure! There’s still hope!” Hong said gravely.
If Luo Feng failed to break through before the critical moment, they would have no choice but to deliver Earth’s samples and data to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire in exchange for rewards. Once that happened, Earth would belong to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
And once it belonged to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire…
What happened to Earth would be beyond their control.
“Endure, endure, endure,” Thunderclap, despite his calm nature, felt the pressure mounting as the days passed and the arrival of the Norland Mountain fleet drew closer. If he were an ordinary person, he would have gone mad with anxiety long ago. “I’ve already broken through to Stellar Level, but the third brother still hasn’t!”
Thunderclap had originally been at the peak of Planetary Level Ninth Stage!
With the secret cultivation techniques of the Yimo Clan and various auxiliary treasures purchased by Luo Feng on Biyan Star, Thunderclap was the first to break through to Stellar Level First Stage, while Hong remained stuck at Planetary Level Ninth Stage.
“I wonder when the third brother will break through,” Hong muttered, turning his gaze toward Luo Feng, who sat cross-legged on the bed inside the villa, visible through the strange transparent wooden-carved window.
“Hmm?”
Hong and Thunderclap noticed that Luo Feng, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, had suddenly opened his eyes.
“Could he have broken through?”
Hong and Thunderclap rushed into the room.
“Hmm?” Luo Feng opened his eyes. “Was that a communication request from Earth?” Babata was always half-connected to the virtual universe, able to receive messages, though sending required Luo Feng’s consciousness to enter the virtual universe.
Seeing the two elder brothers rush in with hopeful expressions, Luo Feng shook his head. “No, I haven’t broken through yet. I just received a communication request from Earth.”
“A message from Earth?”
Hong and Thunderclap were somewhat shocked. In recent days, the nations of Earth had not dared to disturb them lightly.
“Could it be…”
Hong, Thunderclap, and Luo Feng all wore grim expressions.
“I’ll go check,” Luo Feng said, closing his eyes and entering the virtual universe with his consciousness.
……
The blue planet.
Two colossal warships pierced through the atmosphere.
“Hahaha…”
Inside the control room of one of the warships, Pula and three other favored disciples, through the external holographic display, gazed at the beautiful Earth hidden beneath clouds and mist, their voices filled with excitement and joy.
“We’ve finally arrived at this life-bearing planet.”
“Two years of interstellar travel… it’s been too long.”
These four favored disciples were of noble status. When had they ever endured such hardship? A tedious interstellar journey lasting over two years!
“Information network detected.”
“Intrusion into the planet’s network initiated.”
The warship’s AI swiftly infiltrated Earth’s network, gathering a vast amount of information. It was unaware, however, that three months ago, due to the previous incident involving the cosmic exploration team, Earth had already undergone a massive network purge, deleting all sensitive information.
Overseeing this entire operation was the AI responsible for maintaining the ‘Warrior Palace.’
“This planet is called Earth. Its radius is nearly 6,400 kilometers. Its surface area is 510 million square kilometers, with 29.2% land and 70.8% water. The surface gravity is approximately 0.11 standard cosmic gravity units.”
“The total population of this planet is nearly seven billion.”
“The number of powerful individuals on this planet…”
……
The warship’s AI rapidly reported a vast amount of data.
“I’ll inform the teacher of this good news,” said the handsome young man, Pula, as he left the control room and entered his private cabin.
Inside the cabin.
Pula quickly connected his consciousness and entered the virtual universe.
……
A luxurious three-story garden villa, its walls covered with blooming flowers.
Inside one of the rooms.
Beep, beep, beep…
Pula stood silently in the room, waiting. A screen appeared before him, blank at first.
Flash!
Suddenly, a square-faced, muscular man appeared on the screen, his pointed ears indicating he was of the same race as Pula.
“Teacher!” Pula bowed respectfully.
This was his teacher, also the grandfather of Bro Norland Mountain, and the current head of the Norland Mountain Clan—Yuke Norland Mountain, a rather unconventional clan leader. Unlike other family members who loved art and valued etiquette, Yuke was a leader with a savage heart, even more domineering than the previous generation.
“Hmm,” Yuke Norland Mountain nodded slightly, his sharp eyes scrutinizing Pula. “Have you arrived at that planet?”
“Yes, Teacher,” Pula replied respectfully. “The natives of this planet call it ‘Earth.’”
“Earth?” Yuke repeated the name twice.
“Pula!” Yuke’s voice was low and heavy. “You’ve just arrived at this planet. Be extremely cautious! Bro has been silent for three months now. Even the former clan leader couldn’t reach him. He… may already be dead. So, don’t be careless.”
“I understand,” Pula nodded.
At first, Bro Norland Mountain’s silence had not drawn the clan’s attention.
But as time passed, and even the requests for communication between two clan leaders went unanswered… the Norland Mountain Clan began to suspect that Bro might be dead.
“Proceed according to the plan.”
Yuke’s voice was low and heavy. “You must gather a vast amount of data and samples from Earth as quickly as possible. With the interstellar coordinates, data, and samples, we can swiftly apply to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and purchase Earth under our family’s name. Once it’s ours, we can study it at our leisure.”
“Yes, Teacher,” Pula said respectfully.
“Go,” Yuke said.
Beep.
The communication ended.
Pula’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Data, samples!”
Whoosh!
Pula’s consciousness left the virtual universe and returned to the real world.
……
Biyan Star was home to over a hundred billion people.
In a seaside hotel of a bustling city, waves crashed and receded repeatedly.
Hong and Thunderclap sat cross-legged on the beach, silently waiting.
Behind them…
In the quiet house.
Luo Feng sat cross-legged on the bed, his body as still as the sea, yet his heart was filled with urgency. Physical cultivation usually followed a pattern: 1st to 3rd stages were the easiest, 4th to 6th stages more difficult, and 7th to 9th stages even harder. Breaking from 9th stage to a new level of life was the hardest of all! Luo Feng’s core was the ‘Primordial Core,’ so his soul had no limitations. The only restriction was his Earthling body!
His physical body had long surpassed Stellar Level Sixth Stage, but breaking from Sixth to Seventh Stage had become extremely difficult! Luo Feng had been stuck at this final stage for a while, always feeling as if he were about to break through, yet unable to.
“The Norland Mountain Family has already arrived at Earth!”
“My time is running out, running out!”
“Could it really come to this… forcing the entire human race to migrate? Nearly seventy billion people, most of whom are not even at the Planetary Level, unprotected by imperial law. If they are captured by slavers, I won’t even be able to do anything!”
“I refuse to accept this, refuse!”
“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”
An unprecedented surge of emotion!
A burning desire!
“Boom!”
A thunderous roar echoed through Luo Feng’s consciousness.
Silence!
Everything fell silent!
He could hear the distant waves crashing onto the shore and retreating, the uneven breathing of Hong and Thunderclap, and even the ticking of a mechanical clock hanging on the wall inside the house. Under the heightened perception of his mental power, the entire world seemed renewed.
“It’s different now,” Luo Feng opened his eyes, smiling at his surroundings.
“I’m different now.”
Luo Feng whispered, “And Earth is different too!”
Outside the house, Hong and Thunderclap turned their heads simultaneously, looking toward the room.
“Big brother, second brother,” Luo Feng smiled. “Come with me to the Cosmic Star Bank!”
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