Siege!

The Resource Trading Center was located in the core zone of Green Flame Star, a colossal structure a thousand meters tall, built entirely from energy crystals that gleamed brilliantly under the star's light.

Qian Yu stepped through the trading center's entrance.

In an instant, he could sense at least a hundred gazes landing on him simultaneously.

Qian Yu's expression remained unchanged as he walked straight toward the transaction counter.

"Hello, how may I assist you today?"

The receptionist behind the counter was a young human woman, her smile sweet and her voice gentle.

But Qian Yu noticed that her pupils contracted slightly the moment he approached.

She recognized him.

Qian Yu simply said flatly, "Selling a batch of supplies."

"Of course, please follow me."

The receptionist stood up and led Qian Yu to a VIP room nearby.

Inside the VIP room, a mechanical AI receptionist began scanning the supplies Qian Yu produced.

"Please wait, valuation in progress."

Qian Yu nodded, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes to rest.

He didn't need to look to know what was happening outside.

Those watching him should already be making their moves—some slipping away to tip off others, some gathering companions to prepare for action.

Some might even have set up an ambush outside the planet, waiting for him to leave.

But he didn't care. Fighting was prohibited on Green Flame Star; no matter how desperate they were, they couldn't make a move here.

Half an hour later.

"Valuation complete."

The mechanical AI's voice rang out.

"Total: 32.3 billion Ganwu Coins. Confirm the transaction?"

Qian Yu opened his eyes.

32.3 billion Ganwu Coins—this number was a bit higher than he had anticipated.

"Confirm."

The transaction was completed, and the funds were directly deposited into Qian Yu's Cosmic Star River Bank account.

Qian Yu stood up and recited another list.

"Five hundred cubic meters of Cosmic Energy Crystals, three hundred portions of Star Core Essence, two hundred portions of Fire Source Crystals, ten sets of top-tier energy storage devices, one set of C-Class Battle Armor, one C-Class Battle Blade..."

These were all cultivation resources he had planned out long ago.

The mechanical AI processed quickly: "Total: 30.2 billion Ganwu Coins. Sufficient stock. Withdraw immediately?"

"Withdraw."

Another half hour passed, and Qian Yu's spatial ring now held an additional batch of cultivation resources.

Three years of accumulation, spent in a single day.

But Qian Yu didn't feel a pang of regret.

Money was meant to be spent—spent to turn into strength, so you could earn even more.

He stood up and flexed his wrists.

"Let's go."

The moment he stepped out of the trading center's main entrance, Qian Yu stopped.

The star's light spilled down, casting a long shadow behind him on the ground.

The streets were still bustling with people, lively and prosperous.

But in Qian Yu's perception, a faint, elusive killing intent permeated the surrounding air.

Those gazes hidden among the crowd had grown even more fervent; those figures lurking in the shadows were already stirring restlessly.

"Heh."

He strode forward, unhurriedly making his way toward the spaceport.

The spaceport was soon in sight.

Green Flame Star's spaceport covered an enormous area, with thousands of berths densely arranged, large and small ships taking off and landing.

Qian Yu walked up to his ship and raised a hand.

A flash of light passed, and the entire ship was absorbed into his spatial ring.

Many around him witnessed this scene, their expressions shifting with varied thoughts.

Why did he put the ship away? What was he planning? Without a ship, he couldn't enter the dark universe—wouldn't he be walking straight into a net with no escape?

Qian Yu ignored everyone's stares.

He lifted his head and looked toward the sky once more.

The next second.

Boom!!!

The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded, countless fragments of stone scattering in all directions.

His figure shot upward like a black bolt of lightning, soaring into the sky!

So fast!

So extreme that before the onlookers could even gasp, that silhouette had already vanished beyond the horizon!

"He broke out of the planet? Is he insane?!"

"He's left the planet's range—we can attack him now! Kill!!"

Boom!!!

A visible shockwave detonated behind him, the sonic boom of breaking the sound barrier.

Then came a second, a third... within mere seconds, he had surpassed dozens of times the speed of sound, like a reverse meteor streaking toward the stars with a long tail of flame!

On the ground, countless people craned their necks, watching in stunned silence.

"Th-that's... someone just charged straight out?!"

"No ship?! Just his bare body, rushing into space?!"

"Madman! An absolute madman!"

In that instant, Green Flame Star's defense system activated. According to planetary law, any unauthorized bodily departure from port was to be treated as an invasion!

Dozens of close-in defense cannons swiveled simultaneously, their muzzles locking onto that soaring figure.

But before those cannons could finish targeting, that figure had already punched through the atmosphere and entered the starry void.

The defense system's AI hesitated for a single second—the target had left the planet's range. Should it pursue?

In that second of hesitation, the figure had already vanished deep into the boundless starry expanse.

In the void beyond Green Flame Star.

Qian Yu halted, floating silently in the vacuum.

Behind him, Green Flame Star hung like a giant green gem, still and serene in the cosmos.

Before him stretched the vast, star-scattered void, deep and mysterious.

But at this moment, dozens of warships were converging from all directions in that starry sea.

These ships varied in size and model.

They emerged from surrounding asteroid belts, from the planet's shadow, from preset ambush points—like sharks catching the scent of blood, encircling Qian Yu completely.

Qian Yu's divine sense swept across them in an instant.

"Twenty-three ships... Hah, they really think highly of me."

He hovered in the vacuum, his black robes rustling under the starlight—though there was no wind in space, the energy radiating from his body formed an invisible aura.

The warships surrounded him but did not attack immediately.

A communication channel opened.

"Qian Yu!"

On the comm screen, a scar-faced man grinned broadly.

"I've been waiting for you a long time! That five trillion bounty—it's mine today!"

Qian Yu glanced at him and said nothing.

That gaze was too calm. So calm it sent a chill down the scarred man's spine.

But he quickly suppressed his unease. He had twenty-three ships, hundreds of main cannons—what was there to fear from a single Cosmic Level?

"Open fire!"

At his command.

Twenty-three warships, hundreds of main cannons, fired simultaneously!

Blazing energy beams tore through the starry void, weaving into a net of death that descended upon Qian Yu!

And then!

"Stop."

Qian Yu spoke softly.

Sound could not travel in a vacuum, but that invisible wave spread outward in an instant!

Space-Time Control—fully unleashed!

Boom!!!

With Qian Yu at the center, the space spanning hundreds of kilometers in every direction instantly froze solid!

Those hundreds of energy beams were thusly suspended in the starry sky.

Their tips still blazed with dazzling light, but their tails had already lost their subsequent supply, standing neatly frozen against the dark backdrop of space like an eerie painting.

Some beams were less than ten meters from Qian Yu, yet they could no longer advance a single inch.

And those warships were likewise frozen in place.