Zero Makes Contact, a Despairing Gap

The next day

Qian Renxue entered Lin Chen's courtyard once again.

Qian Renxue looked at Lin Chen gently and said, "I'm going into seclusion to cultivate for the next two and a half years. What about you? What are you planning to do?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Chen casually replied, "I should start cultivating too. My Soul Power has been stuck at level 46 for quite some time now."

"I plan to stay in the Spirit Hall for the next two years to cultivate and see if I can break through to level fifty or so."

Qian Renxue nodded and said, "The Spirit Hall has far more cultivation resources than Heaven Dou City. You'll cultivate here much faster than you would in Heaven Dou City."

After a moment of silence, Qian Renxue continued, "For the next two and a half years, I will likely remain in the Angel Temple and rarely venture out."

Lin Chen looked at her and said with a smile, "You just focus on your cultivation from now on. I'll wait for you outside."

"Then I'll be going." Qian Renxue glanced at him, a smile appearing on her face, and then slowly left the courtyard, heading towards the Worship Hall.

That night, Lin Chen was sitting cross-legged on the bed in the Guest Courtyard, meditating.

The night in Spirit City was quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional footsteps of patrolling Soul Masters outside the window.

He closed his eyes, his Soul Power slowly circulating in his meridians. The bottleneck of his Ultimate Martial Soul was still stuck there, and the speed at which his Soul Power advanced was so slow that it was almost imperceptible.

Just then, the Ultimate Bracelet on his left wrist suddenly vibrated.

Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked down at his wrist. The blue gemstone in the center of the bracelet was shimmering, its light flickering as if it were transmitting some kind of signal.

"What's going on?" Lin Chen wondered, but before he could react, a powerful suction force suddenly surged from the bracelet, pulling his consciousness in abruptly.

Within the Sea of Consciousness

Lin Chen stood in an endless silver space, with the water shimmering beneath his feet and a sky full of stars above him.

"How did I get dragged into the Sea of Consciousness?" Just as Lin Chen was wondering, a golden light was gathering in the starry sky in front of him.

The light grew stronger and brighter until it finally transformed into a gigantic figure.

Ultraman Zero stands in the Sea of Consciousness, over fifty meters tall, his entire body covered in armor interwoven with Blue Silver, and the colorful timer on his chest emits a steady glow.

Two pairs of sharp "rabbit ears" on his head pointed straight to the sky, and his silver eyes were sharp and bright. His whole person exuded a sacred and warm aura of light.

He crossed his arms, looked down at the tiny Lin Chen at his feet, and said with a hint of sternness in his voice, "So you are the owner of the Palagi Shield? You are truly weak."

Lin Chen looked up at the enormous Giant of Light before him, his eyes wide with shock. "Zero? How did you get in?"

"Ah... it's a long story, but all you need to know is that it took me a lot of energy to communicate with you without destroying this planet."

Zero lowered his arm, squatted down, and brought his massive face close to Lin Chen's. "Besides, didn't I connect once before? It's just that I didn't control my strength well, which caused the connection to be interrupted."

Looking at Zero's face so close to his own, Lin Chen suddenly felt that this face was even more imposing than it appeared in the anime, and he had to admit that Zero was really handsome.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen asked curiously, "Zero, is there something you need from me? Is it because of my Palagi Shield?"

Zero's expression turned serious. He sat cross-legged in the Sea of Consciousness, his enormous figure making the entire space feel quite crowded.

Zero sighed and said, "This is troublesome too. Just now, a guy named Tartarus set his sights on your Palagi Shield."

Lin Chen's pupils constricted sharply, and he said in shock, "Tartarus, isn't that the Golden Titan? What's he doing here?"

Zero raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "You actually know Tartarus?"

"I know a little," Lin Chen said with a hint of helplessness. "So you and the Golden Titan came all the way from another Universe just for the Palagi Shield on my body?"

"Since you already know, it saves me the trouble of explaining." Zero breathed a sigh of relief and said helplessly, "Just now, Tartarus sensed the presence of the Palagi Shield and tracked it to this Universe."

"However, he has been blocked by me now and will not pose a threat to the peace and order of your planet for the time being."

Lin Chen was almost dumbfounded; Zero's words were incredibly informative.

What do you mean, after I transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, Zero and the Golden Titan both saw me as their target? This isn't Ultraman anymore, you've got the wrong channel!

Besides, all he did was awaken a Martial Soul. These two powerful figures, who could easily destroy the Douluo Universe, really don't need to go to such lengths for a nobody like him.

Lin Chen, who was still stunned by Zero, said coldly, "Kid, you're too weak right now. I'm sure Tartarus won't just sit here and wait to die."

"Your task now is to strive to become stronger. I don't expect you to be able to protect this planet, but at least you need to have the power to protect those around you."

After recovering from his shock, Lin Chen fell silent upon hearing Zero's words.

Although he did want to protect the people around him, including Qian Renxue, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and others.

But according to Zero, based on the power system of the Douluo Continent, even if he became God King, he would still be nothing more than an ant in the eyes of the Golden Titan.

And now, this person who can destroy the Douluo Universe at will has set his sights on a mere Soul King?

The difference in power levels was too great, so great that Lin Chen was in despair. At this moment, he couldn't even protect himself, let alone protect Qian Renxue and the others.

Seeing Lin Chen's low spirits, Zero smiled and waved his hand, "Don't give up so easily. The potential of the Palagi Shield in your hands is limitless."

At this point, Zero pointed a finger at Lin Chen's body. "In short, just focus on becoming stronger. As for protecting this Universe, leave that to me!"

Lin Chen looked down at his body, remained silent for a moment, and then a serious look flashed in his eyes.

"I understand," Lin Chen said earnestly, raising his head. "I will strive to become stronger!"

"That's good." Zero stood up, his enormous figure slowly transforming into golden specks of light and disappearing into Lin Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

"I will continue to observe you in the Universe, and I will come to find you again when your strength has improved further."

"As for Tartarus wanting to attack you, ha... he's 20,000 years too early!"