Huge Bounty

The next three years.

Qian Yu's life became extremely simple: find a stronghold, destroy it, seize the resources, and leave.

Round and round, cycle after cycle.

KX-19, annihilated.

KX-23, annihilated.

KX-31, annihilated.

Kachi System Seventh Mining Planet, annihilated.

Cuilan Star Trading Post, annihilated.

Fire Phoenix Training Camp, annihilated.

A black-silver spaceship, a youth in black armor, a single battle blade.

In three years, these hallmarks became the nightmare of countless Fire Phoenix Organization members.

Everywhere he went, Qian Yu followed the same procedure: first destroy the defense systems, then unleash Space-Time Control, then reap with his blade.

From outer space to the planet's surface, from the first enemy to the last, the entire process was clean and efficient, never exceeding half an hour.

The managers of those strongholds, from the initial Cosmic Level First Stage and Second Stage, to later Cosmic Level Fifth Stage and Sixth Stage, and even once encountering a tough Cosmic Level Ninth Stage—the result was no different.

Once Space-Time Control was unleashed, no matter what Cosmic Level you were, you were all frozen in place.

A flash of the blade, and heads hit the ground.

Qian Yu's strength grew ever more fluid and natural through real combat.

Three years ago, his use of Space-Time Control was still somewhat clumsy, the range of frozen space only a few hundred kilometers, and the duration limited.

Now, still at Cosmic Level Third Order, his Space-Time Control could cover a radius of three hundred kilometers.

His comprehension of the Fire Law was also steadily improving.

Though he was still far from fully mastering the Fire Origin Law, his use of flame grew increasingly exquisite. Paired with his battle blade techniques, the power was several times stronger than three years ago.

He had also begun to glimpse the threshold of the Space Origin Law.

The only pity was that his realm remained at Cosmic Level Third Order.

No help for it—cultivation required resources, and resources required money.

Although he had plundered many strongholds, the wealth of those places mostly existed in the form of supplies: energy blocks, crystals, materials, ores. Converting these things into cash took time, and time was what he lacked most right now.

But Qian Yu wasn't anxious.

Three years—to the lifespan of a Cosmic Level powerhouse, it was merely a snap of the fingers.

He had plenty of patience.

Over these three years, the Fire Phoenix Organization's reaction shifted from initial contempt, to taking him seriously, and now to utter headache.

At first, they treated it as ordinary revenge, sending a few patrol squads to hunt him down.

The result: the patrols didn't even catch a shadow of Qian Yu, but two more strongholds were taken out.

Then they began reinforcing stronghold defenses, increasing manpower, and even setting traps in some strongholds, waiting for Qian Yu to walk right in.

The result: Qian Yu's divine sense swept over, found something wrong, and turned away without hesitation.

No matter how well the traps were laid, they needed someone to step on them to work. If Qian Yu didn't step, they were just scrap metal.

Later, they got smarter. Instead of passive defense, they took the initiative to strike.

Headquarters dispatched three Hunting Teams led by Domain Lord-level powerhouses to scour the Cui Lang Starfield for traces of Qian Yu.

But the problem was, the Cui Lang Starfield was too vast.

Hundreds of star systems, countless inhabited planets, countless interstellar shipping lanes.

Trying to find someone deliberately hiding in such a large area was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

What's more, Qian Yu never took conventional routes.

Every time he destroyed a stronghold, he would plunge into the Dark Universe, warp around randomly, find some desolate star system to lie low for a few days, and when the heat died down, come out and continue hunting for the next target.

Those Hunting Teams chased for three years without even smelling Qian Yu's exhaust.

Once, a Hunting Team received intelligence that Qian Yu had appeared in a certain star system. They rushed over at full speed, only to find nothing.

After they left, Qian Yu turned around and took out a nearby stronghold—luring the tiger from the mountain, played to perfection.

In three years, the Fire Phoenix Organization suffered heavy losses.

According to incomplete statistics, over thirty strongholds were destroyed, the wealth lost amounted to tens of billions of Ganwu Coins, and countless organization members died.

Among them, over thirty were Cosmic Level powerhouses alone.

This loss had already made the Fire Phoenix Organization's upper echelons feel the sting.

But they had no way to deal with Qian Yu.

Fight—they couldn't win. Sending anyone below Domain Lord meant sending them to their deaths, but sending anyone above Domain Lord meant they couldn't catch him.

Chase—they couldn't keep up. Qian Yu's ship was only C-class—yes, he'd switched ships in the middle—but he never engaged the pursuers head-on. Every time, he touched and fled, never lingering for a fight.

Defend—they couldn't hold. With Space-Time Control paired with the Ninefold Fire Domain, Qian Yu's offensive power was simply too strong.

Unless every stronghold had a Domain Lord stationed there, there was no stopping him.

But how many Domain Lords did the Fire Phoenix Organization have in total? Aside from the eighteen directors, there were almost none left. Even sending them all out wouldn't be enough to cover the bases.

And so it dragged on. Three years.

Finally, this matter reached the ears of the Fire Phoenix Organization's true boss, Pan Xi.

Cui Lang Starfield, Beth Planet, Fire Phoenix Organization headquarters.

Inside that resplendent, golden palace, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

Pan Xi sat high on the main seat, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed as his gaze swept over the trembling high-ranking officials below.

"Three years."

Pan Xi spoke slowly, his voice low, yet it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Three years. Thirty-seven strongholds destroyed. Losses exceeding hundreds of billions of Ganwu Coins. Tens of thousands dead."

His gaze landed on a Domain Lord-level director.

"And you, leading three Hunting Teams, chased for three years, and didn't even catch a glimpse of him."

That Domain Lord-level director trembled all over: "Please calm your anger, my lord! That brat is far too cunning. He never takes the conventional routes. Every time, he randomly shuttles through the Dark Universe, and we simply can't lock onto his position..."

"Enough."

Pan Xi cut him off, a hint of impatience in his tone.

"A Cosmic Level Third Order escaped slave. Three years ago, I thought he was a nobody, too lazy to act personally. I never expected to raise a tiger that would bite back."

He paused for a moment.

"Pass my order."

The crowd below raised their heads in unison.

"From today onward, within the entire Cui Lang Starfield, issue a Bounty Order for Qian Yu."

"Anyone, any organization, as long as they can provide Qian Yu's exact location, receives a reward of ten billion Ganwu Coins."

"If they can kill Qian Yu, the reward is one trillion Ganwu Coins, plus one promise from our Fire Phoenix Organization."

"If they can capture Qian Yu alive, the reward is five trillion Ganwu Coins."

As these words fell, an uproar broke out below.

This bounty amount was already absurdly high.

"The lord is wise!"

The high-ranking officials answered in unison.

It was only Pan Xi, after all—holding a mountain of wealth, dripping with riches. A few trillion Ganwu Coins was something he could still afford.

The news quickly spread across the entire Cui Lang Starfield.

In an instant, countless eyes turned toward this starfield.

Those lone wolves, mercenary groups, bounty hunters, and even some small factions all began to stir.

A Cosmic Level Third Order guy, worth five trillion Ganwu Coins?

This deal—worth doing!

And at this moment, on the edge of some desolate star system in the Cui Lang Starfield.

A black-silver spaceship hovered silently behind a dead star.

Inside the cockpit, Qian Yu leaned back in his seat, browsing something through the virtual universe.

Suddenly, his brow lifted slightly.

"Oh."

On the virtual universe's screen, the Bounty Order just released by the Fire Phoenix Organization was displayed in full.

"Provide location, reward one hundred billion... kill, reward one trillion... capture alive, reward five trillion..."