Everlasting Ease?

Within the Star Realm Rift,

Kong Yang flipped his palm and took out an ancient book. Drawing a deep breath, he said,

"You all go back first. I'll read here for a while and calm myself down."

"You're still reading that damned book!"

Kong Yin snatched it away, crushed it into scraps, and said with disappointment filling her eyes,

"Even your last bit of sharpness is gone. Is this the legacy you learned from the human race?"

Beside them, the Niu Brothers also looked displeased and said in muffled voices,

"Alliance Leader, even if we don't kill Li Qingshan, we should at least teach him a lesson. Otherwise, where would the prestige of our Shouyang Alliance be?"

"This was a rare opportunity. With the Alliance Leader and the four of us joining forces, even if Fei Xingye came in person, the advantage would still be ours!"

"What a fine 'the advantage is ours'..."

Kong Yang shook his head and sighed, murmuring,

"But Li Qingshan is not Fei Xingye, after all!"

"Then what were you afraid of just now?!"

Kong Yin snorted coldly and demanded,

"Since Li Qingshan is inferior to Fei Xingye..."

"Li Qingshan is inferior to Fei Xingye?"

Kong Yang's gaze turned strange. He tilted his head toward his sister and the Niu Brothers, rubbing his temples.

"When it comes to anything, use your brains more!"

"For more than half a year, every single time, Li Qingshan was able to disguise traces of the Great Sun Dharma Form without exposing the slightest flaw!"

"Especially in those 'high-risk rifts'—he acted for no more than a minute, perhaps even less, yet he could destroy an entire planet."

"On this point alone, not only could I not do it, Fei Xingye could not possibly do it either!"

As soon as those words fell, the Niu Brothers immediately fell silent, but Kong Yin remained unconvinced.

"Strength is fought out, not guessed at. We may not be unable to take a gamble!"

"A gamble? Why should we gamble?"

Kong Yang slowly shook his head and sighed,

"We are comrades, colleagues. Even within a rift, even in foreign starfields, we cannot slaughter one another and fight with our lives on the line."

"Before entering, I truly was blinded by rage and wanted Li Qingshan to pay the price, but..."

His voice paused slightly, his mouth filled with bitterness.

"That one phrase of his—'think thrice'—reminded me."

"It wasn't that we were fast enough to block Li Qingshan's path. He had deliberately been waiting for us!"

"Just now, it wasn't that we let Li Qingshan leave. He merely handed the choice to me."

After thinking thrice, not only had he failed to see even the slightest chance of victory, he had instead become increasingly aware of Li Qingshan's terror.

Under such circumstances, how could he possibly dare to make a move?

Across from him, both Kong Yin and the Niu Brothers looked dispirited, helplessness rising in their hearts.

Kong Yang looked at the scraps of pages scattered all over the ground and shook his head.

"Let's go. We'll return first and talk later."

The five of them walked out of the rift, ignoring the gazes turned toward them as they quickly headed for the elevator.

The elevator shot upward, swiftly returning to the War Merit Hall.

Buzz!

His wrist trembled slightly, and a call request popped up.

Ye Hao—Jiao District Ministry of Education "Deputy Minister"

Kong Yang's gaze sharpened, and he immediately looked at his sister.

"To your room!"

Naturally, Ye Hao's call could not be answered in the hall, while the door to his own lounge had been kicked apart by Kong Yin.

As his words fell, the five figures flashed and vanished at once.

Less than a second later, they appeared inside a lounge.

Kong Yang shut the door tightly, nodded at the others, turned around, and accepted the call.

A projected screen appeared.

At the center of the image stood a middle-aged man with a tense jaw and a back straight as a pine. In his deep eyes lay an unquestionable majesty.

Deputy Minister of the Jiao District Ministry of Education.

An eighth-rank powerhouse, Ye Hao!

"Minister Ye!"

Kong Yang looked excited. He cupped his hands and smiled.

"Thank you, Minister Ye, for taking time out of your busy schedule to personally return my call. Kong Yang is truly flattered."

"Enough idle chatter!"

Ye Hao's tone was calm as he went straight to the point.

"I've read all the messages you sent. The problem lies with Li Qingshan!"

"Li Qingshan's Dharma Form is one hundred and eight zhang tall. That is why he could repeatedly impersonate Fei Xingye and deceive all of you."

"One hundred and eight zhang?!"

Kong Yang's eyes bulged, and his smile froze on his face.

The truth behind Li Qingshan's ascent onto the War Merit Board had long since been revealed. Kong Yang had originally only wanted to placate Ye Hao, yet he had never expected such explosive news!

"What?"

Ye Hao frowned slightly, his anger carrying its own authority.

"You've already clashed with Li Qingshan."

"No!"

Kong Yang hurriedly shook his head.

At that moment, he felt incomparably fortunate that he had thought thrice before acting!

Otherwise...

At the thought of the consequences of making a move, Kong Yang shuddered from head to toe.

"It's good that you know fear!"

Ye Hao spoke indifferently, warning him,

"Li Qingshan's Dharma Form surpasses Feng Boyong's. He is an unprecedented monster genius in our Horn Sector. If you lose your head and provoke him, no one can save you."

"Thank you for your instruction, Minister. Kong Yang will keep it firmly in mind!"

Kong Yang's tone was respectful, without the slightest trace of dissatisfaction.

"Very good."

Ye Hao nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject.

"Actually, you need not worry too much about Li Qingshan. You only need to find an excuse to kick him out of the team."

"Only twelve years remain until the rankings are finalized. No matter how monstrous Li Qingshan may be, he will not affect the overall situation."

Ye Hao smiled casually, his gaze fixed on the camera as he said seriously,

"The reason we deliberately gathered you foreign races at the three fortresses was to have your names remain on the War Merit Board and display the achievements of our enlightenment!"

"Of course, far more than just us are watching this War Merit Board, and it is not limited to the Ministry of Education!"

"Every new policy is always accompanied by countless disputes and doubts..."

As he spoke, Ye Hao's expression gradually turned solemn, his gaze locking onto Kong Yang.

"The rankings of the three of you are the strongest response to those doubts—especially yours!"

"Minister Ye, I..."

Kong Yang looked troubled, while his heart was filled with bitterness.

Just as Li Qingshan had said before, compared to Fei Xingye and Zhong Jun, his position as "third place" had come in a most dishonorable fashion.

He had once taken it for granted, even relished it, but now...

"Hm?"

Ye Hao lifted his eyelids slightly and said blandly,

"Is there a problem?"

Kong Yang's whole body trembled, and he hurriedly replied,

"Of course there's no problem, but..."

"Minister Ye, Fei Xingye and Zhong Jun's war merits have both already approached forty million. Even without Li Qingshan's interference, I'm afraid it will still be difficult for me..."

"You needn't worry about that."

Ye Hao waved a hand and interrupted him, saying with certainty,

"The military has already located an unexplored foreign starfield. To you, it will be an entirely new battlefield!"

"As long as you make good use of the several thousand foreign races under your command, you can naturally seize the initiative and overtake those ahead of you!"

Kong Yang's face lit up, and he said excitedly,

"Thank you for informing me, Minister Ye. I understand."

"It's good that you understand. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

The calm words drifted out, and the screen suddenly went dark.

The corners of Kong Yang's mouth fell, his smile fading without a trace of joy remaining on his face.

Looking at his teammates' complicated expressions, he said bitterly,

"Now do you understand why I didn't want to contact Ye Hao?"

Meanwhile,

Billions of light-years away, on a planet of the Evil Horn Tribe.

Xie Sen, chieftain of the Evil Horn Tribe, sat upright upon his throne. He held a piece of beast hide in his hand, his expression uncertain with shock and suspicion.

Beside him, a stooped old man asked nervously,

"Chieftain, has the Blood Rot Clan's envoy arrived?"

"They have, but it isn't an envoy."

Xie Sen stared at the beast hide and said gravely,

"The Blood Rot Clan has sent an elder delegation!"

"An elder... delegation?"

The old man's eyes widened in disbelief.

The Blood Rot Clan was a major clan of the starry sky. Only seventh-ranks could serve as elders.

How many people would it take to be called a "delegation"?

"Why go this far? Only one divine son has fallen. Why is the Blood Rot Clan making such a tremendous fuss?"

"It isn't because of Xue Ming."

Xie Sen shook his head, a trace of fear appearing in his eyes.

"The Blood Rot Clan received a Divine Decree to come here and intercept the descending Heavenly Demon!"

"The Heavenly Demon is descending?!!!"

The old man's legs trembled, and he instantly collapsed limply to the ground.

"It's over. Our Evil Horn Tribe is finished. When the Heavenly Demon destroys the world, all living things will be plunged into misery..."

"Don't panic. Don't forget that the Blood Rot Clan has an elder delegation!"

Xie Sen raised the beast hide in his hand and forced himself to remain calm.

"According to the letter, the elder delegation intends to settle this once and for all, make the Heavenly Demon pay a painful price, and force it to completely abandon its invasion of this starry sky!"