Joining the Astral Express Crew?

Violent conflict erupted among the alliance members.

The once "united" planets began attacking one another, fighting bitterly over trivial reasons.

Their ships exploded along each other's routes, while their cities were reduced to ruins beneath mutual bombardment.

In the end, this galactic alliance protected by the divine power of "Harmony" was not breached by foreign enemies.

But under your manipulation, it completely collapsed from within due to its own suspicion, fear, and infighting, becoming a field of ruins.

This method of destruction—dismantling a civilization from the spiritual level without spending a single soldier—filled you with incomparable satisfaction.

This was the true art of destruction.

Villain Points +500!

At five thousand years old, time was like sand slipping through one's fingers. In the endless universe, several millennia passed in the blink of an eye.

You, Lord of Ruin Phantylia, were no longer the tiny Suyang that hid within mortal shells and survived by devouring her own kind.

You were an emissary beneath the Destruction Aeon Nanook, commanding the Antimatter Legion and scattering seeds of destruction across countless star systems.

Your fearsome name resounded throughout the cosmos alongside collapsing civilizations.

You reveled in this power, this authority capable of easily destroying everything.

Yet deep within your heart, the humiliation of being imprisoned for a thousand years and your bone-deep hatred for the Xianzhou Alliance had never faded.

At six thousand three hundred and ninety-eight years old, in Star Calendar 8098.

The Antimatter Legion's intelligence network delivered its latest report to you.

One piece of intelligence regarding the Xianzhou Alliance caught your attention.

It seemed to be connected to unusual activity among the Abundance factions. Some exploitable crack had appeared within the Xianzhou.

Nanook's vast will showed no displeasure at your focus.

He seemed pleased by all forms of destruction, whether external invasion or internal collapse.

Your heart stirred.

It was time.

Time to let the civilization that had once imprisoned you taste destruction as well.

Lead the legion in a direct assault? That would be far too boring.

True destruction began with decay from within.

As usual, you decided to personally travel to the Xianzhou Loufu.

You would find a suitable identity and infiltrate the depths of that colossal vessel.

Your golden threads had already analyzed countless potential targets.

In the end, your gaze settled on a Foxian girl from the Sky-Faring Commission—Tingyun.

Her position was neither too high nor too low, yet she had access to a great deal of information and possessed extensive connections. Moreover... she seemed easy to possess.

A perfect vessel, an excellent springboard.

A vast conspiracy against the Xianzhou slowly took shape in your mind.

What did you plan to do?

1. Prepare as usual and transform into Tingyun to lie low.

2. Plan ahead and infiltrate the various factions first.

3. Directly lead the legion to attack the Xianzhou Loufu.

The options appeared, but Jiang Mo did not make a decision immediately.

Option one: prepare as usual and transform into Tingyun to lie low?

That would mean following the plot... but what would the outcome be?

There was probably a high risk of being defeated by Jing Yuan and that Dragon Sovereign working together.

He had no desire to repeat that kind of failure.

The risk was too high, and the ending was already set.

Option three: directly lead the legion to attack the Loufu? A foolish option.

Though the Xianzhou Alliance had its fractures, the seven Xianzhou possessed deep foundations, and several emissaries stood guard over them.

In a head-on clash, even if he was Huiming's emissary in the simulation, he would gain no advantage.

That left only option two.

Plan ahead and infiltrate the various factions first.

That suited Jiang Mo's style better.

The advantage of golden threads lay in information.

Before taking action, you needed to control more pieces and obtain more intelligence.

Infiltrate different factions, plant more hidden agents, and create more chaos.

That way, regardless of how the situation developed, you could remain invincible. You could even guide the entire Xianzhou toward the destruction you desired.

Everything had to be watertight.

Jiang Mo quickly made his decision.

"I choose 2."

You chose to plan ahead and infiltrate the various factions first.

With your decision made, you began considering which faction to infiltrate first.

Infiltrate the Xianzhou Loufu first and become Tingyun?

Not appropriate.

Then, the Stellaron Hunters?

Those people were elusive, and behind them stood Elio, who toyed with the scripts of fate.

As a fellow emissary, you were confident you could interfere with or deceive Elio's foresight to some extent, but there was no need.

The Stellaron Hunters were not the best choice for muddying the waters of the Xianzhou. The risks and rewards were disproportionate.

Your thoughts raced before finally settling on another target.

The Astral Express.

Those people who had inherited the will of the Trailblaze Aeon Akivili.

Although Akivili had fallen, navigator Himeko and conductor Pom-Pom still guided the train as it traveled through the sea of stars, blazing new trails.

Yes, them.

If the Xianzhou's script of fate was to be rewritten, the greatest variables would often lie with these protagonists who upheld the spirit of Trailblaze and were filled with uncertainty.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to infiltrate them and muddy the waters of the Xianzhou?

With your target decided, the next step was disguise.

You mobilized a portion of an Aeon of Destruction Emissary's authority and began shaping a brand-new temporary body for yourself.

This was not simple mimicry, but a meticulous construction based on your own memories.

Light and shadow twisted as energy particles gathered and dispersed.

Soon, the image of a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, carrying a faint sense of aloofness between his brows, gradually took shape.

Jiang Mo looked at the body formed within the simulation and stroked his chin in satisfaction.

Though it was only a simulation, this body's looks were undeniably exceptional.

"Mm, it's only a tiny bit worse than my real looks in the future."

Joining the Astral Express Crew?

The Flames of Suyang flowed into this newly born body.

All the terrifying aura belonging to an Aeon of Destruction Emissary and a Suyang was perfectly concealed, without leaking the slightest trace.

You were now "Jiang Mo," an ordinary interstellar traveler.

You locked onto an outer planet where the Astral Express would soon stop to resupply—Fissured Iron Star.

This planet happened to be corrupted by a newly born Stellaron, causing a small-scale disturbance. It was the perfect stage for your entrance.

You arrived on the barren planet ahead of time and disguised your ship to look as though it had been attacked by space pirates and crashed there.

You lay near the wreckage of the ship, pretending to be unconscious as you waited for the prey to take the bait.

Before long, the familiar red train cut through Fissured Iron Star's dim sky and slowly descended.

Himeko and March 7th were the first to disembark. They had come to investigate the Stellaron disturbance.

They quickly discovered the shipwreck, along with you, who had apparently met with misfortune.

"Someone's here!" March 7th cried out and hurried over.

Himeko stepped forward as well to examine your condition.

You woke at the right moment, your face full of confusion.

"You are...?"

"We're Trailblazers from the Astral Express," Himeko said gently. "Your ship... crashed?"

You fabricated a story. "My ship had a malfunction and drifted off course. Then... I think I ran into space pirates. They took everything valuable and damaged the ship too, so I crashed here."

"That's really terrible luck," March 7th said sympathetically. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here first."

Himeko nodded. "Yes, we'll take you to a nearby city."

At that moment, the ground suddenly began shaking violently!

A deep roar came from the entrance of a mine pit not far away.

Several grotesquely twisted mutated monsters, carrying ominous Stellaron energy, charged out with howls.

"Those are... monsters contaminated by the Stellaron!"

March 7th's expression changed, and Himeko swiftly drew her weapon as well.

Battle erupted instantly.

You no longer pretended to be weak. With a flash of movement, a simply designed longsword appeared in your hand.

The blade sliced through the air, striking directly at the vital points of those twisted creatures.

The monsters warped by the Stellaron were like paper beneath your sword. Their twisted bodies fell at once and directly dissipated.

Himeko and March 7th both fixed their eyes on you.

They had originally been prepared to fight, but they had not expected this traveler they had just met to possess such sharp combat skills.

As monster after monster fell, the surprise in their eyes turned into scrutiny, then eventually into approval.

You sheathed your sword and stood tall, several drops of ominous slime dripping from its tip.

Then you turned to Himeko and March 7th.

"These creations twisted by the Stellaron will only bring destruction."

"Your target is the Stellaron in the mine, right? I'd like to contribute as well."

You pointed at the monsters' remains. "I may be able to help deal with these things. I don't want to see this planet completely corrupted."

March 7th looked at Himeko and kept signaling to her: He's so strong. Hurry and let him join!

Himeko's gaze lingered on you.

The young man calling himself a traveler had displayed strength far beyond expectations.

"Very well, thank you. But please be extremely careful."