Half a year ago, Luo Feng's Earthling clone had finally been born.
Though he preferred to call the Golden-Horned Beast his main body and the Earthling form his clone, the sentiment felt somewhat backwards. After all, before possessing the Golden-Horned Beast through Hu Yan Bo's Soul Seal technique, Luo Feng's original body had already reached Planetary Level Nine.
During those six months since the clone's birth, Luo Feng had easily broken through to Stellar Level with his Earthling body. Upon reaching that threshold, he'd gained access to Hu Yan Bo's first inheritance account, receiving a staggering 10 billion Qianwu coins in assets.
"Luo Feng, don't be impatient," Babata cautioned. "These people are probably just the vanguard, not the real main force."
Luo Feng nodded slightly, though murderous intent flickered in his eyes.
Cultivating the fundamental principles of the Metal Origin Law inherently favored killing and fostered a sharp, aggressive temperament. Combined with possessing the body of a Golden-Horned Beast, whose nature was cruel and bloodthirsty, Luo Feng found his emotions far more volatile than before.
"Kill them first," Luo Feng said after a moment's consideration. "By the way, Babata, send a message to Han Jue."
"No problem." Babata quickly followed Luo Feng's instructions, transmitting the alert.
"Very good." Luo Feng smiled, though his eyes remained cold with killing intent.
Space adventurers.
Luo Feng knew exactly what that meant.
Earth was no longer safe.
If outsiders discovered Earth's coordinates and spread word of its treasures, the consequences would be catastrophic. His family, his children, everything he cared about could be destroyed.
He couldn't allow that.
Piloting his Sky Shuttle, Luo Feng accelerated toward the spaceship's location, intent on eliminating these intruders before they could transmit Earth's coordinates back to their organization.
"Master, a group of space adventurers has appeared on Earth."
Elsewhere, Rimuru's voice interrupted Han Jue's relaxation on a comfortable lounge chair, where he'd been basking in the sun and drinking juice.
"Space adventurers?" Han Jue removed his sunglasses and set down his drink, considering this development.
The Nuolanshan family.
"It's been almost three years, and they're only arriving now?" Han Jue shook his head. "I'd almost forgotten about them."
He stood and stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Nuolanshan, was it? This seems like a good time to find him for some entertainment."
It was past time for Guntel on Huangyang Star to move around anyway. Sitting in meditation for almost three years straight was terrible for anyone's circulation, even a Domain Lord's.
What?
You say Nuolanshan hadn't taken any direct action against Earth yet?
Han Jue preferred not letting others make the first move. Preemptive action was always safer.
Luo Feng's current Earthling clone possessed strength equivalent to the first tier of Stellar Level.
With such power, he could certainly handle the Earth-based cosmic adventurers easily.
However, that wasn't the real concern.
His Golden-Horned Beast body had now reached the ninth tier of Stellar Level, increasing its power at an even more terrifying rate than in the original timeline. With abundant resources provided by Babata's inheritance accounts, the Golden-Horned Beast was only one step away from breaking through to Universe Level.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, the cosmic adventurers remained aboard their small scout ship, methodically gathering information about Earth. They remained completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Beneath the ocean's surface, a massive shadow quietly emerged from the depths.
"Roar!"
The Golden-Horned Beast exploded from the water, its enormous jaws clamping around the spaceship's hull and dragging the entire vessel beneath the waves!
"Strengthen!"
Luo Feng silently activated one of the Golden-Horned Beast's innate secret techniques.
The Strengthening ability could instantly double his combat power. Combined with his already formidable base strength, he became truly terrifying.
His bloody maw opened wide. The spaceship's metal hull was nothing more than a snack for a Golden-Horned Beast, one of the twelve peak bloodlines among space beasts.
Metal tore and shattered like paper.
The captain and his crew had no time to react before the Golden-Horned Beast devoured them, consuming both their bodies and the ship's valuable components in a frenzy of destruction.
As Luo Feng had suspected, these people were far too weak to pose any real threat.
"In three months, another group of space adventurers will arrive on Earth," Babata's voice announced.
Amidst the wreckage, the AI had hacked into the destroyed ship's data core, extracting relevant intelligence before sharing it with Luo Feng.
The information was alarming.
Over forty ninth-tier Stellar Level warriors, approximately one thousand other Stellar Level fighters, and more than ten thousand Planetary Level soldiers comprised the incoming fleet.
Such a force would arrive on Earth in three months.
"Luo Feng, Earth might be in serious danger," Babata said solemnly.
Luo Feng frowned, considering the implications.
He wasn't particularly worried about this fleet itself. After acquiring Hu Yan Bo's first-level inheritance wealth, he'd already deployed advanced security equipment around Earth, including D-class orbital cannons capable of destroying most Stellar Level ships.
If it weren't for gathering intelligence, he would never have allowed even this scout ship to penetrate Earth's defensive perimeter.
What concerned Luo Feng was the Nuolanshan family backing these space adventurers.
Seven Universe Level powerhouses.
"Has Han Jue replied yet?" Luo Feng asked in a low voice.
"No," Babata responded.
"Am I going to have to deal with this alone again?" Luo Feng said with exasperation.
This situation had happened more than once. Han Jue, under the pretext of "training" Luo Feng properly, had left many troublesome matters for Luo Feng to handle personally.
Luo Feng had reason to suspect that Han Jue was deliberately ignoring his message, forcing him to deal with these cosmic adventurers independently.
Unfortunately, this time, Luo Feng had genuinely misjudged Han Jue's intentions.
The Kaluo Empire.
Outside the ancestral planet of the Nuolanshan family.
Han Jue and Guntel stood in the void of space, gazing down at the inhabited world below.
"Master Divine Servant, are your enemies here?" Guntel asked excitedly. "I can already sense several Universe Level auras on this planet!"
After spending over two years on the desolate Huangyang Star, he was practically suffocating from boredom. As a merfolk, while leaving water wouldn't kill him, prolonged dry conditions created extreme discomfort.
"Are you confident you can handle a Universe Level Nine 'Giant Axe Warrior'?" Han Jue asked pointedly.
Setting aside other factors, Nuolanshan himself was quite powerful. A Universe Level Nine Giant Axe Warrior was practically invincible within his cultivation tier, with excellent prospects for eventually advancing to Domain Lord level.
Han Jue had legitimate reason to doubt whether Guntel, a merfolk from the Divine Kingdom who lacked weapons, armor, or secret techniques commensurate with his Domain Lord cultivation, could necessarily defeat Nuolanshan despite his higher tier.
"This..." Guntel hesitated, uncertainty crossing his features.
Having spent the past two years exploring the Virtual Universe and making many friends through that network, he'd certainly come to understand what a Giant Axe Warrior represented in terms of combat prowess.
"Never mind," Han Jue shook his head dismissively. "The Star-Eating Grass will assist you, won't you?"
Han Jue extended his right hand. A small white grass plant was wrapped around his arm, its delicate leaves touching his index finger and swaying slightly in response, as if acknowledging his words.
After over two years of intensive cultivation with premium resources, the Star-Eating Grass had now reached the ninth tier of Universe Level.
Eating Life Fruits as regular meals truly produced terrifying growth rates.
Han Jue estimated that even before the Genius Battle began, the Star-Eating Grass would likely advance to Domain Lord level.
With a Universe Level Nine Star-Eating Grass and a Domain Lord level Guntel working together, even if Nuolanshan somehow broke through to Domain Lord right now, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Attack," Han Jue commanded directly.
"Understood!"
Guntel instantly expanded his Domain, spatial distortions rippling outward as he locked onto Nuolanshan's position deep within the planet's urban center.
"Domain Lord?"
Nuolanshan's expression changed drastically the moment that overwhelming Domain pressure descended. He instantly burst through the ceiling of his meditation chamber, rocketing into the sky.
At his side appeared two other Universe Level warriors, his direct disciples, Yu Ke Nuolanshan and Dewen Nuolanshan.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Nuolanshan called out as he ascended, his mind racing frantically. "Why are you attacking my family's residence? Is there some misunderstanding?"
Had he somehow offended this Domain Lord without realizing it?
"Hmph, so much nonsense!" Guntel snorted coldly and attacked without further preamble.
His trident, the finest weapon of the merfolk species, equivalent to a third-tier Force weapon, thrust forward in a devastating strike.
This was a killing move from the very beginning.
Nuolanshan's expression changed again. He drew his massive battle axe, barely managing to block Guntel's lethal blow.
The Giant Axe Warrior's reputation is well-deserved, Han Jue observed from his concealed position in the shadows.
Despite the cultivation gap, Nuolanshan had managed to fight Guntel to a temporary standstill through superior technique and weapons mastery.
However, Han Jue had no intention of watching a prolonged battle.
"Star-Eating Grass, kill him."
The Star-Eating Grass instantly sent out several powerful vines, each one as thick as a python and covered in blade-like thorns. The vines entangled Nuolanshan from multiple angles, severely restricting his movement.
"Star-Eating Grass!" Nuolanshan's eyes nearly bulged from his skull in shock. "Who the hell are you people?"
Despite his desperate situation, he still struggled valiantly to fend off Guntel's relentless attacks while the vines tightened around him.
As a seasoned warrior with over eighty thousand years of combat experience, Nuolanshan immediately recognized the Star-Eating Grass that Han Jue had deployed.
In his assessment, the Star-Eating Grass posed an even greater threat than the Domain Lord currently pressuring him.
"Quick! Stop that plant life!" Nuolanshan roared at his disciples.
Yu Ke Nuolanshan and Dewen Nuolanshan exchanged brief glances before attacking together, attempting to save their master.
"The battlefield is dangerous, don't run around recklessly," Han Jue said with a faint smile, casually moving to intercept them.
"Stellar Level?" Yu Ke Nuolanshan's face lit up with joy. "The Domain Lord must be your elder, correct? I'll capture you and see how arrogant you remain then!"
Yu Ke Nuolanshan believed that if he could capture Han Jue as a hostage, the Domain Lord would be forced to retreat. Saving his master would be a tremendous achievement.
"Alas, people always underestimate me," Han Jue shook his head with genuine helplessness.
Back in the Dry Sea Divine Kingdom, he'd been consistently underestimated by the geniuses of the First Universe Bank, though in fairness, he couldn't attack them even if he'd wanted to, given diplomatic constraints.
But how dare these Universe Level idiots show such arrogance before him?
Swish!
The Cloud Sea Sword appeared in Han Jue's hand in a flash of blue-white light.
"Frozen Sea," Han Jue declared, his eyes sharp and focused as he slashed forward with devastating force.
Yu Ke Nuolanshan and Dewen Nuolanshan happened to be positioned on the same attack trajectory. Han Jue's sword struck both of them simultaneously with a single devastating blow.
"What, "
Shock registered in their eyes, but that was all they had time for.
The sword's speed was simply too fast.
The surrounding space seemed to freeze solid for a brief instant. This wasn't an illusion, but rather the Ice Sword technique's actual effect, the ambient temperature plummeting so drastically that both warriors found themselves nearly paralyzed. The profound comprehension of the Water Origin Law imbued within the sword technique threatened to freeze them completely solid.
The two men joined forces, desperately combining their strength to block the sword's overwhelming power.
Just as they caught their breath, believing they'd survived, they met Han Jue's beautiful pale blue eyes.
Within those eyes resided absolute calmness, complete indifference, and unmistakable killing intent.
"Divide the Sea."
Another strike slashed forth with even greater power.
This time, Han Jue held absolutely nothing back.
The force amplification behind this strike reached nearly eighty-fold, approaching or even matching the power amplification that some World Masters could achieve.
Eighty times force amplification × ninth-tier Stellar Level power × five times genetic level advantage = absolute devastation.
And that calculation didn't even factor in the additional amplification provided by Han Jue's profound comprehension of the Water Origin Law.
In summary, this strike far exceeded anything these two Universe Level warriors could possibly withstand.
Space itself seemed to tear apart along the sword's path. In an instant, both figures were shredded, annihilated, and scattered into the cosmic void as mere particles.
They were dead before they could even comprehend what had killed them.
"Who are you?" Nuolanshan's voice was thick with desperation and confusion. He racked his brains frantically but couldn't understand why these people had come to kill him without warning or explanation.
They'd killed two of his most promising disciples without hesitation and were now clearly intent on killing him as well.
"If you're going to kill me, at least let me die knowing why!" Nuolanshan's tone was almost pleading, tinged with genuine grievance.
With both the Star-Eating Grass and Guntel coordinating their attacks perfectly, Nuolanshan was retreating faster than even he'd expected possible. His legendary defensive capabilities as a Giant Axe Warrior were crumbling under the relentless assault.
"That won't work, I'm afraid," Han Jue chuckled softly, decisively rejecting Nuolanshan's request. "I can't risk you developing some elaborate revenge scheme in the afterlife."
With a single casual strike of his sword, Han Jue ended it.
Nuolanshan, having completely lost his ability to resist under the combined assault, died with his eyes wide open in shock and confusion.
Han Jue closed those staring eyes with a gesture and used his energy to cremate the body, ensuring no traces remained for potential resurrection techniques.
"Guntel," Han Jue called his companion over.
"Remember to eliminate all potential threats completely. Nuolanshan accumulated quite substantial wealth over his eighty thousand years of life. Seeing as the weapon you've been using is frankly embarrassing for a Domain Lord, all the assets under his name are hereby transferred to you for disposal."
"Thank you, Master Divine Servant!" Guntel's eyes lit up with genuine excitement and gratitude.
For a Domain Lord, adequate equipment made an enormous difference in combat capability. With Nuolanshan's accumulated wealth, he could finally purchase weapons and armor appropriate to his cultivation level.
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