It was a curvaceous woman, fleeing in the opposite direction.
As she ran, she screamed frantically for help. When she instinctively glanced back, a blade flashed right before her eyes.
Splurt!
The third one.
It was a short, fat man. He had made a clever decision: rather than fleeing in a straight line, he took a wide detour, hoping to escape under the cover of the wrecked warships.
He could already see hope.
Not far ahead lay an asteroid belt.
As long as he hid inside, he would be safe. Their ship was parked there.
Just as he was about to charge into the asteroid belt—
A calm voice sounded behind him.
"You run pretty fast."
The short, fat man froze from head to toe.
He slowly turned around.
Qian Yu stood less than ten meters behind him, quietly watching him.
"Y-you..."
The short, fat man's lips trembled as he hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"Spare me! Spare me! I can do anything! I can be your slave! I know a lot of things! Please, spare my life!"
"I..."
Splurt!
A blade flashed past, and the man's unfinished words caught in his throat. A bloody line burst open down the center of his head!
His entire body slowly split in two.
"Sorry, I don't need that."
Only after the battle ended did Yigenmao finish gathering the spoils and catch up.
Qian Yu took out the spaceship.
"Let's go."
The two entered the ship. It accelerated at once, instantly entering the Dark Universe and vanishing.
After this battle, Qian Yu had a clearer assessment of his own strength. Even without using the Innate Secret Art: Space-Time Manipulation, his true body's combat power could easily crush a Domain Lord First Order.
If he used Space-Time Manipulation, he could probably even fight a Realm Lord.
He had been too low-key before. No, it was because he was simply too strong.
The insight boost provided by the Primordial Dao Tree was still far too powerful. His current comprehension of the Laws definitely rivaled that of a Realm Lord. The hundredfold genetic enhancement made his combat power formidable as well, and with the boost from the Space-Time Manipulation Talent Secret Art, what was a Realm Lord to him?
"Pan Xi, wait for me! I'll be coming for you soon!"
News of this battle spread through the entire Cui Lang Starfield as if it had grown wings, soon reaching the ears of the true giants.
Cui Lang Starfield, Shadow Tower branch.
Shadow Tower was one of the largest intelligence organizations in the Ganwu Universe Country. It was spread across countless galaxies and starfields, with innumerable informants.
The person in charge of this branch was a gaunt old man, a Realm Lord Level First Order. He stared at the footage before him with a deeply furrowed brow.
In the footage, the scene of Qian Yu killing a Domain Lord First Order with a single slash replayed over a dozen times.
"The use of the Law of Space... though still shallow, has indeed crossed the threshold."
The old man murmured to himself.
"And the Law of Flame has at least reached the level of recognition by the Laws. Coupled with that terrifying speed and strength..."
He paused, a glint flashing through his eyes.
"This kid is no simple matter!"
This level of Law comprehension already rivaled that of a Realm Lord. A Cosmic Level cultivator with Law comprehension comparable to a Realm Lord—how terrifying was that?
After pondering for a moment, he ordered, "Pass down the command. Increase our level of attention on Qian Yu. Report all information on him immediately."
"Yes!"
Cui Lang Starfield, Hundred Battles Mercenary Corps headquarters.
The Hundred Battles Mercenary Corps was one of the top three mercenary corps in the Cui Lang Starfield. It had several Domain Lord-level experts, while its commander was a top expert at the Domain Lord Ninth Stage.
At this moment, Commander Zhan Tian sat at the head of the conference room, looking at the light screen before him.
Dozens of senior members sat in complete silence.
"Tell me what you think."
Zhan Tian spoke, his voice low.
After a moment of silence, a Deputy Commander cautiously said, "Commander, this Qian Yu... are we still taking Fire Phoenix's bounty?"
Zhan Tian glanced at him.
"Taking it?"
Zhan Tian sneered.
"Can you beat him?"
The Deputy Commander opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"A Cosmic Level Third Order killing a Domain Lord First Order across ranks—do you know what this kind of strength and talent means?"
He paused, then continued on his own.
"It means that as long as he doesn't die young, he'll at least reach the Realm Lord Level Peak in the future. He may even become an Immortal."
The moment the word "Immortal" was spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately turned grave.
Zhan Tian turned around and swept his gaze across the crowd.
"Pass on my order. Starting today, no one is to provoke Qian Yu. If you encounter him, take a detour."
"But Commander, Fire Phoenix's side..."
"Fire Phoenix?"
Zhan Tian sneered.
"Pan Xi may have money, but you need to live long enough to spend it after taking it. Five trillion—would that be enough to buy your lives?"
No one answered.
This order quickly spread to every member of the Hundred Battles Mercenary Corps.
Similar scenes unfolded one after another within the major factions of the Cui Lang Starfield.
Some factions chose to wait and see, some chose to retreat, and others chose to recruit him.
The news continued to spread.
At last, it reached the ears of those truly colossal powers.
Ganwu Universe Country, Virtual Universe Company branch.
The Virtual Universe Company was one of the six major powers of the Primordial Universe. It was spread throughout every universe country and controlled the Virtual Universe, a supernetwork spanning the entire Primordial Universe.
Within the Ganwu Universe Country, the Virtual Universe Company branch was equally powerful and influential.
At this moment, in a quiet chamber within the branch, a Green-skinned Elder reclined in a lounge chair, with a light screen floating before him.
The footage on the light screen showed Qian Yu killing a Domain Lord First Order.
The old man narrowed his eyes and watched it again and again.
"Interesting."
"I didn't expect to encounter such an interesting young man in this tiny Cui Lang Starfield."
He raised a hand and tapped the screen. The footage paused, frozen at the instant Qian Yu swung his blade.
"Born a slave, yet growing to this extent in barely over a decade after breaking free from control..."
The old man murmured, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes.
"Recognition by the Law of Fire, an initial grasp of the Law of Space, and that decisiveness in killing..."
He paused, his gaze deep.
"He still held back in this battle."
The old man had remarkable discernment. Having lived through an unknown number of epochs, he had seen more geniuses than ordinary people had seen stars.
At a glance, he could tell that Qian Yu had not used his full strength in this battle.
From previous intelligence, he knew that Qian Yu possessed an ability capable of freezing space.
Yet Qian Yu had not used it at all in this battle.
Other than using it at the beginning to destroy the fleet, that secret art was far from simple. It rather resembled a Talent Secret Art.
"In other words, he crushed that Domain Lord First Order through his own strength alone."
The old man nodded, and the admiration in his eyes deepened.
"Not bad, not bad."
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly called out, "Someone."
The door to the quiet chamber opened soundlessly. A figure appeared and bowed respectfully. "What are your orders, sir?"
The old man pointed at Qian Yu on the light screen.
"Investigate this person's background. The more detailed, the better."
"Yes."
The figure disappeared.
The old man leaned back into his lounge chair, his gaze falling on Qian Yu's face once more.
"Little fellow, how many more surprises can you give me?"
At the same time, the intelligence departments of several other major powers within the Ganwu Universe Country also received reports concerning Qian Yu.
Before you continue