Chapter 115: Devour!

"A Second-Tier Star Domain—this princess must be quite formidable, right? Why doesn't she come herself instead of issuing a kill order?" Yang Ye asked, frowning.

Nezha replied, "I suspect you intimidated her. You took out Lan Xingshuo with a single strike, so before she risks doing it herself, she needs to test your true strength."

"What kind of person is this princess?" Yang Ye asked again.

Nezha answered, "You have already met her. In the first trial, the female general you defeated was Lan Xingchensha."

"Oh?" An image of a beautiful woman with flowing blue hair appeared in Yang Ye’s mind.

Nezha continued, "Lan Xingchensha left a sliver of her consciousness in the stone tower. You carrying her head was an insult to her. Lan Xingchensha is of royal blood; the current King of the Blue Stars is named Lan Xinghaoyu, and he has many children. Lan Xingchensha is not particularly highly regarded. During the various Earth assessments, she was defeated once and punished for a long time. However, that was a long time ago. Back then, she was only at the early stage of the Star Lord realm; now, she should be at the early stage of the Star God realm."

Just as Nezha finished speaking, Yang Ye’s phone rang. Seeing it was Zhou Hun calling, he answered. Zhou Hun’s voice came through, sounding grave: "Ye Xun, a strange character has arrived at the South Heaven Gate, demanding a duel with you."

"Any casualties?" Yang Ye asked.

"A few of our brothers were injured; this person is too powerful," Zhou Hun replied.

"Tell him to wait a moment; I’ll be there shortly." Yang Ye hung up and shook his head helplessly.

...

In the Undersea Dragon Palace, Long Xiaoqing had transformed into a giant azure dragon, her long body coiled like a serpent. She held her head high as a massive orb of light hovered above her. Surrounding her body was a runic formation crafted from blue crystals. Eight elders sat around the formation, pouring their immense energy into it. The orb above Long Xiaoqing’s head slowly shrank until it condensed into a bright pearl slightly larger than a soccer ball, which she opened her mouth and swallowed in one gulp.

"Awoo!" Long Xiaoqing let out an excited roar, shattering the dome of the Dragon Palace and surging out into the seawater.

Once she had left, the formation flickered, and a dignified elder appeared. It was Long Xiaoqing’s grandfather.

"Master!" Steward Mu, standing to the side, bowed. The eight elders also stood and bowed, their faces etched with exhaustion.

"You have all worked hard. From now on, you are free," Long Xiaoqing's grandfather said calmly.

"Thank you, Sovereign!" After another bow, the eight elders vanished one after another.

The grandfather looked up at the shattered dome, his stern expression softening into a smile. The moment he smiled, his entire presence shifted. Despite the broken dome, no seawater leaked in. Long Xiaoqing, who had been swimming excitedly outside, returned to human form and descended with a whoosh.

"Grandfather!" She lunged toward him, but her body passed right through him. She realized then that this was only an image.

"Xiaoqing, I must go now."

"Grandfather! Where are you? Let me come find you," she pleaded.

He shook his head. "You know our current situation; it is not convenient for me to see you. Stay by Yang’s side; one day, you will see me again."

With that, the crystal formation dimmed, and the image vanished. Steward Mu stepped forward and said, "Miss, please do not tell the Young Master about the Dragon Clan matters for now."

Long Xiaoqing nodded. "Rest assured, Steward Mu. I won't tell my husband now; if he found out, he would be heartbroken." As she spoke, the image of an old man holding a long-stemmed pipe—Yang Ye’s master—flashed through her mind.

...

At the South Heaven Gate, Yang Ye arrived, carrying his black blade. A burly middle-aged man draped in animal skins and covered in tadpole-like runic tattoos sat on a beam of light, while Zhou Hun and his men watched him with wary eyes.

As Yang Ye approached, the man looked up. "Yang Ye, you’ve finally arrived," he said calmly.

"What do you gain by killing me?" Yang Ye asked in the universal language with a smile.

"One hundred Star God Crystals," the man replied.

Yang Ye did the math. Ten thousand Star Crystals equaled one Galaxy Crystal, and one thousand Galaxy Crystals equaled one Star God Crystal.

"Only one billion Star Crystals? How cheap," he remarked, shaking his head.

No sooner had he spoken than the tattooed man exploded into a cloud of black smoke and vanished. Yang Ye’s eyes narrowed, and he flashed away from his original position. An invisible blade swept through the air where he had been standing. The invisible man, having missed, seized the moment Yang Ye reappeared to strike again. But suddenly, a black vortex appeared before him. The suction was intense; he might have evaded it, but his own momentum combined with the vortex’s pull dragged him straight inside. Once the man was consumed, the vortex vanished in a flash.

"Whew!" Yang Ye exhaled, waved his hand, and a mass of black debris and metallic items appeared out of thin air. He bent down and picked up a storage belt. A Star Lord-level expert—surely there was something good in here!

He crushed the belt. A mountain of items spilled out, and Yang Ye narrowly dodged being buried under the pile. Most of the objects were strange, rare materials. He sifted through them and found three jade talismans and twelve Star God Crystals. Using his spiritual sense, he examined the talismans: they contained an invisibility technique, a method for absorbing star energy, and a close-quarters combat skill.

Yang Ye didn't care for the cultivation method. After pocketing the twelve Star God Crystals, he tossed the talismans to Zhou Hun.

"Thank you, Ye Xun!" Zhou Hun exclaimed, stunned and excited.

Glancing at the pile of loot, Yang Ye said, "Have all these transported down and given to Nezha."

Zhou Hun nodded and asked curiously, "Ye Xun, what happened to that man earlier?"

Yang Ye chuckled. "I ate him."

Ever since his body had turned into a black hole, Yang Ye’s aura had grown somewhat eerie to Zhou Hun and the others, and the remark sent a chill down their spines.