He looked again at the face of the Black-Clad Youth in the image, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.
This man had become a grave threat to the Fire Phoenix Organization.
"Move! Return to headquarters immediately and report this!"
With a wave of his hand, the lean man hurriedly led his team aboard the spaceship.
The three C-class Spaceships quickly rose into the air and vanished into the starry sky.
Elsewhere.
Half a month of Dark Universe travel passed in the blink of an eye.
When the spaceship emerged from the Dark Universe, a grayish-brown planet appeared beyond the porthole: KX-11.
It was practically cast from the same mold as KX-7: a gloomy atmosphere, mine pits everywhere, densely packed concentration camp buildings, and the familiar layout of defensive systems in planetary orbit.
Qian Yu stood before the porthole and watched quietly for a while.
"That's right."
He nodded.
This planet was also a slave stronghold of the Fire Phoenix Organization.
"Then... same as usual."
Qian Yu put away the spaceship and silently floated through space.
He did not act immediately. Instead, he first released his spiritual sense and scanned the planet's entire defensive system.
"A B-class defense system... about the same as KX-7."
After confirming it, Qian Yu raised his right hand.
The next second, he vanished from where he stood.
Boom!!!
The orbital cannon platform exploded!
Boom!!!
The energy shield generator collapsed!
Boom!!!
The anti-air radar was reduced to fragments!
In mere seconds, KX-11's defensive systems were completely paralyzed.
On the planet, piercing alarms rang out as countless Fire Phoenix members fled in panic.
They did not know what had happened. They only knew that the defensive systems had been wiped out in an instant, which meant the enemy had to be at least a high-level Cosmic Level expert—perhaps even a Domain Lord!
But their flight was meaningless.
Because in the next moment, an immense pressure descended from the heavens.
Boom!!!
Centered on Qian Yu, the space within a radius of over a hundred kilometers instantly froze.
The fleeing Fire Phoenix members were locked in place in all manner of poses; guards trying to start spaceships and escape had their fingers only a centimeter from the control panels, yet could no longer press down; the supervisors and managers trembling inside the buildings could not even blink.
Only Qian Yu moved through this frozen space as though no one else existed.
His battle saber left its sheath.
Blade light flashed.
Heads flew one after another, and bodies crashed to the ground.
Blood burst like crimson fountains, blooming into bizarre flowers within the frozen space.
Like the god of death, Qian Yu sped across the planet's surface. Wherever he passed, blood flowed like rivers and corpses carpeted the ground.
But this time, he kept an extra precaution in mind.
When his spiritual sense swept over a command tower, he stopped.
Inside, a Cosmic Level First Stage manager was frozen in place, his face filled with terror.
"Cosmic Level First Stage... not too strong, not too weak. Just right."
The corners of Qian Yu's lips curled slightly.
With a casual slash, he killed every other Fire Phoenix member in the command tower, leaving only that Cosmic Level First Stage expert alive.
Then he continued the slaughter.
More than ten minutes later.
Every Fire Phoenix member on the planet was dead.
Only that Cosmic Level First Stage manager remained. Qian Yu held him by the neck like a chick and brought him to an open stretch of ground on the planet's surface.
The frozen space finally returned to normal.
"Thud—"
The manager's legs gave out, and he dropped straight to his knees.
His entire body shook, his face deathly pale, and bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead.
During those ten-odd minutes, although he had been frozen in place and unable to move, he could still see and hear. He had watched with his own eyes as the Black-Clad Youth slaughtered every member of the Fire Phoenix Organization on the planet like a killing god.
The terror had nearly driven him mad.
"M-my lord..."
Kneeling on the ground, he kowtowed frantically, his trembling voice barely able to form complete words.
"S-spare me... spare me, my lord..."
Qian Yu looked down at him from above, a faint smile on his lips.
"Do you know why I spared you?"
The manager shook his head wildly. "N-no... I don't..."
Qian Yu smiled. It was a faint smile, but to the manager, it was more terrifying than a demon's grin.
"You'll know soon enough."
The next second.
Crack! Bang! Smash!
A brutal beating began.
Miserable screams echoed across the entire planet.
The next day.
A black-silver B9-class Spaceship silently hovered in the outer space around KX-11.
Inside the cockpit, Qian Yu lounged leisurely in a broad seat, holding a cup of pale green sake.
He had found the liquor in KX-11's warehouse yesterday. It was said to be a specialty from some star system and was quite valuable.
Qian Yu took a sip. It really was good—fragrant and mellow, with a sweet aftertaste.
Behind him stood a bald man with a bruised and swollen face, his expression full of respect and fear.
He was the Cosmic Level First Stage manager from yesterday.
Only now, there was an additional ring of silver-gray metal around his neck.
After beating him yesterday, Qian Yu had done one more thing: he had personally implanted a Slave Chip into the manager.
So that he could properly experience what it felt like to be a slave.
"Master."
The manager spoke cautiously, his voice carrying a trace of fawning.
"I've finished organizing the distribution map of the strongholds you wanted."
Without turning around, Qian Yu gave a soft "Mm."
The manager hurriedly handed over an information storage device.
Qian Yu took it and quickly scanned its contents through the Virtual Universe.
"Not bad."
He nodded.
The map was extremely detailed. Every Fire Phoenix Organization stronghold in the Cui Lang Starfield—including slave transfer stations, mining planets, trade stations, training camps, and even several hidden supply warehouses—was clearly marked.
With this map, he would no longer have to search blindly one by one.
Qian Yu put away the information storage device, lifted his cup, and took another sip.
"Yigenmao."
"What are your orders, Master?"
Without turning around, Qian Yu asked, "How long until we reach the Fire Phoenix Organization's next stronghold?"
The manager hurriedly brought up a star map, calculated carefully, and answered respectfully, "Master, the closest one is KX-19, also a slave transfer station. At our spaceship's speed, it will take approximately seventeen days of Dark Universe travel."
"Seventeen days..."
Qian Yu nodded and took another sip of sake.
"Very good."
The manager stood cautiously behind him, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Even now, he could not understand how he had gone from being an exalted stronghold manager to someone else's slave.
But the Slave Chip in his head reminded him every moment that it was all real.
And this black-haired young man, who appeared to be only at the Cosmic Level Third Order, possessed the terrifying strength to slaughter an entire planet.
He did not dare resist, nor did he dare show even the slightest disrespect.
Qian Yu took another sip of sake. Yigenmao was a name he had casually given this fellow yesterday.
It had no special meaning. He had simply blurted it out.
This fellow had at least reached the Cosmic Level and counted as a minor higher-up within the Fire Phoenix Organization.
The Fire Phoenix Organization's strongest expert was a Realm Lord.
That was Pan Xi. As far as Qian Yu knew, he was the only Realm Lord in the entire Fire Phoenix Organization. The others at the top were merely Domain Lords.
In an organization like this, a Cosmic Level expert already counted as fairly impressive.
Naturally, he knew quite a lot as well.
Before you continue