Chapter Nine: The Human Race!

“White? Why have I suddenly returned? What happened in the end?!” Lan Tian snapped back to himself, urgently asking, deeply worried about the fate of the eyes’ owner.

White, as an intelligent lifeform, had already developed emotions. He didn’t answer Lan Tian directly, but instead spoke with sorrow, “That person you just saw—he was my master.”

“My master achieved countless glories, his fighting power unparalleled, forging a legendary reputation among the stars. But… in the end, he still fell…”

“He perished in this star field, unknown to all…”

“So, he fell after all…” Although he had only glimpsed through time and space just moments before, Lan Tian had completely immersed himself in the scene. Now, upon hearing of the eyes’ owner’s death, a deep sense of loss welled up in his heart.

He remembered the sweep of an arm that set the stars adrift, the wave of a hand that obliterated countless planets—those dazzling bursts, like fireworks, were deeply engraved in Lan Tian’s mind.

He could hardly imagine how a single person could become so powerful, godlike, and demonic all at once.

Yet even this godlike master had ultimately perished…

“My master’s name was Mang Feng,” White continued, ignoring Lan Tian and narrating with calm solemnity tinged with sadness. “He hailed from the Yuanlan Empire, one of the empire’s eight great star domains—the Lord of the Lanyu Star Domain, crowned by the Emperor himself with the title God of Battle. For countless ages he stood as the empire’s guardian, an invincible legend in every citizen’s heart.”

“Thirty thousand years ago, word came that the Star-Behemoth Yan Ze had given birth to a cub in one of the empire’s domains, falling into a state of extreme weakness. The Emperor issued an edict and personally visited the domain lord’s palace, beseeching the God of Battle to set out and seize the infant beast.”

“As the Emperor’s sworn brother, the God of Battle could not refuse such a plea. He immediately set aside all his affairs, donned the Crimson Star God-Armor, and journeyed alone into the stars.”

“In the empire’s remote domains, there truly were traces of Yan Ze’s presence. Yet all evidence indicated that though Yan Ze was indeed pregnant, she had not given birth. All know that any beast is most violent during pregnancy—let alone the Star-Behemoth, a symbol of invincibility in the universe!”

“The God of Battle clashed with Yan Ze several times, facing death again and again, yet remained devoted to the empire’s prosperity, tirelessly searching for the infant. When imperial reinforcements arrived, the unthinkable happened: the imperial army’s firepower did not target Yan Ze, but instead turned upon the empire’s living legend—the God of Battle, Mang Feng!”

“It was all a scheme! That merciless ruler, to secure his throne, had laid a trap of staggering cruelty for his own sworn brother!”

“Only when tens of thousands of laser cannons rained down upon him did the God of Battle realize he had been betrayed. Overcome with grief and rage, he transformed the Crimson Star God-Armor into its combat form, withstanding the laser barrage while enduring Yan Ze’s indiscriminate assault. He charged into the imperial army, and together with Yan Ze, left the imperial forces utterly obliterated, not a remnant remaining!”

After annihilating the imperial army, the God of Battle intended to return for vengeance. Yet Yan Ze, maddened as she neared labor, lost all reason and pursued him relentlessly across space, vowing to kill him.

It was clear—if the God of Battle returned to the empire, disaster would befall countless innocents, and innumerable planets would be destroyed. Though wronged by the empire, he could not bring himself to harm its people. With the fate of the masses on his mind, the God of Battle forsook his revenge and fled alone into uncharted star fields.

“What happened next…” White paused, glancing at Lan Tian.

Lan Tian understood and took up the tale: “What happened next is what I witnessed—the owner of the eyes was the God of Battle, that gilded armor was the Crimson Star God-Armor in combat form, and that terrifying beast was the Star-Behemoth Yan Ze.”

“Yes. In the final moments you could not see, Yan Ze was drawn into my master’s cosmic projection. My master fought with all his might, yet could not restrain her. In the end, he was forced to shatter the projection, choosing mutual destruction with Yan Ze…”

“Before falling, my master could only cast the Crimson Star God-Armor and me into the unknown star field. When the projection collapsed, he perished without a trace.”

Lan Tian’s heart blazed with anger. For such a peerless hero to be betrayed by his own brother and fall midway—what a tragedy!

“I am my master’s personal intelligent terminal. My mission is to carry on his legacy—and, if possible, to annihilate the Yuanlan Empire!” White’s expression turned fierce, his voice grim.

“How vast is the Yuanlan Empire? So there truly are other advanced civilizations in the universe…” Lan Tian marveled. From White’s account, he had gleaned that the Yuanlan Empire was a cosmic nation ruling over several star domains!

Such a staggering revelation was beyond his wildest imagination.

“A single star domain is made up of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of galaxies similar to your Milky Way. The Yuanlan Empire rules over eight such domains, each varying in size. Now, tell me—just how vast do you think the Yuanlan Empire is?” White countered.

Lan Tian could only gasp in shock—it was simply too incredible!

With Earth’s current science and technology, humanity had not even truly stepped beyond the solar system, let alone the vast Milky Way. But the Yuanlan Empire governed hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of galaxies like the Milky Way. What an unfathomable number! What a terrifying nation!

“Don’t try to understand the universe with the meager knowledge of Earth’s people. That’s the frog in the well—seeing a fragment and thinking it is the whole universe!”

“There are many super empires in the cosmos, even countless times mightier than the Yuanlan Empire,” White went on, his words earthshaking, ignoring Lan Tian’s look of impending collapse. “In the known universe, the Yuanlan Empire is a minor, almost insignificant human polity. Amidst the billions of races in the cosmos, it is not worth mentioning.”

Lan Tian was speechless.

“Let’s stop for now. I need a drink of water—to calm myself… and recover from this shock…” At this moment, Lan Tian felt as if either he had gone mad, or the world itself had.

Compared even to the Yuanlan Empire, Earth was as insignificant as dust—let alone the existence of even greater empires and mightier races.

Faced with a universe so vast it defied all description, he suddenly began to doubt his own existence. He had lived more than twenty years, toiling away for a paltry salary, exhausted like a dog every day—for what?

For survival?

But what meaning did such survival hold?

Then, what truly was meaningful?

Perhaps sensing Lan Tian’s unease, White spoke up. “Don’t belittle yourself. Perhaps you don’t know this, but unlike some races born saints, humanity is a very special kind. There are ordinary people too weak to truss a chicken, but also peerless beings who make the stars tremble. Humanity possesses infinite adaptability and infinite potential!”

“True, the chances of great power arising among humans cannot rival those of certain powerful races—some are destined from birth to become sages or ancestors. But the key is, humanity’s reproductive ability is simply overwhelming. Though the odds of producing a strong one are low—so low as to be negligible—humanity’s immense numbers ensure that heroes constantly emerge, not inferior to any race. Even in a universe of billions of races, humanity ranks among the top ten!”

“Humanity is, indeed, a truly formidable race.”