Once everyone had calmed down, Chen Qing got down to business. The Fire Phoenix Organization had been dragging things out for a while.
Perhaps because Panxi had only just left and had no chance to pass along any information, the Cuilang Star Sector still seemed peaceful on the surface.
The Commerce Department had made its arrangements quickly. In just two months, everything had been set up neatly. Now was the time to make their move!
"Big Brother, Second Brother, you can handle what comes next. The three of us won't get involved."
The Virtual Company didn't operate like they did. A few supervisors couldn't just show up and sort everything out.
If it weren't for the sake of Pinghai Company—or rather, the people above them—they might not even have bothered to take a look.
Hong nodded too. There was no need for any of them to take part in this kind of attention-grabbing affair.
"Since that's the case, we'll stay out of it. What are your plans from here?"
Chen Qing tapped his fingers on the table as he glanced behind him. Neither woman showed any intention of speaking; they simply indicated that he should decide.
"We'll leave soon. We might visit some other Universe Countries, then find a small secret realm to explore."
To be honest, if he hadn't been waiting for Hong and the others, Chen Qing wouldn't have wanted to stay another moment. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"So soon?"
Thor murmured, but didn't ask anything else. His fourth brother had always been mysterious, so this decision wasn't surprising. Hong, too, gave Chen Qing a long look.
"In that case, we won't say anything more. If anything comes up, contact us through the Virtual Universe!"
"Okay."
In the Dark Universe, Chen Qing's newly purchased Anle sailed steadily toward the distance under Spirit Butterfly's control.
In the ship's lounge, Jiang Fang and Yao Rao sat across from Chen Qing, looking at him gravely.
"Chen Qing, what happened? Why are you so anxious?"
Jiang Fang had spent more time with Chen Qing than anyone else. Though he'd never said anything over the years, she could still sense the subtle changes in him.
Especially when they'd discussed the Fire Phoenix Organization, he'd kept rubbing his thumb against his index finger. Even Yao Rao had noticed.
Yao Rao said nothing, but her usual smile was gone. She simply watched Chen Qing intently.
"How do I put it? It's still what Xu Xin mentioned last time. I can't figure out why someone up there would put in a word for us."
Chen Qing licked his lips and narrowed his eyes. He couldn't keep hiding some things from the women closest to him.
"Luo Feng wouldn't have the time, and he doesn't have the authority either. But who else could it be?
"Then there's the matter of the Basics. No matter how I look at it, it shouldn't have been Pinghai Company!"
"And then?"
Yao Rao seemed to have been getting interested in the story, and wasn't pleased that Chen Qing had stopped.
"But what does that have to do with you running off, little guy? I know exactly what you're thinking, Sis."
"Sister Yao, listen to yourself. What do you mean, running off?"
Chen Qing objected to Yao Rao's words. "If I'm running away, then I'm running away. I'm not stupid!"
"Ha ha ha!" Yao Rao was amused by Chen Qing. "I finally see what Jiang Fang meant by calling you shameless!"
Chen Qing didn't mind. He shrugged and continued with what he'd been saying.
"Something did happen, but I can't tell you. Just know that it matters more than Earth."
Seeing Yao Rao's mouth fall open, Chen Qing couldn't resist lunging at her. He'd wanted to do that for a long time!
A hint of awkwardness crossed Jiang Fang's face. She remembered that he'd done the same thing to her the first time. Did Chen Qing have some kind of peculiar preference?
After a moment, she helplessly patted them both. They hadn't finished discussing serious matters, and now they were getting distracted again.
"And you call that 'something'?"
Jiang Fang rubbed her temples and sighed inwardly. "What are your plans? And find somewhere to drop us off."
Yao Rao glared at Chen Qing without a word, then linked her arm through Jiang Fang's. She clearly agreed with her sister's decision.
"Let's see..."
Chen Qing frowned. The Green Lotus in his Origin Core suddenly trembled, interrupting his train of thought.
"What's wrong?"
The two women were alarmed when they saw Chen Qing suddenly frown. Before he could answer, a cacophony of alarms rang out through the ship!
"Master, a violent energy fluctuation has suddenly appeared around the ship! Cause unknown. The energy continues to increase..."
Chen Qing had no time to panic. He immediately sent the two women into his Inner World. They were in the Dark Universe; if the ship were destroyed, they wouldn't even have time to react!
What the hell? It wasn't even an Alien Race. It wasn't trying to capture them—it was going straight for the kill?
What Chen Qing didn't know was that the energy had come from the void. It only affected the area within a few hundred thousand kilometers, swallowing the ship before vanishing without a trace!
After an unknown amount of time, the ship stopped shaking. Chen Qing stood dazed for a long while before finally coming to his senses.
"Was that not an attack? Spirit Butterfly, check the ship for damage. Scan with the probes!"
Chen Qing composed himself. Seeing nothing unusual around him, he hurriedly gave his orders to the intelligent assistant.
"Master, the ship's hull has sustained 16% damage, and 45% of its energy has been depleted. An unknown space has been detected. Energy density is extremely high. Unknown life-energy signatures are mixed in. Danger level unknown!"
"Activate the exterior simulation!"
"Yes, Master!"
As the ship turned transparent, Chen Qing couldn't help exclaiming, "What kind of place is this?"
A vast stretch of flat land lay ahead. Mountains rose in layers in the distance, shrouded in mist. An endless curtain of light surrounded the sky, streaked with flashing thunder and countless streaks of light racing past.
Suddenly, time and space froze. Chen Qing remained frozen with his mouth open as a supreme will appeared beside him, left him a message, and vanished without a trace.
Chen Qing hadn't even finished marveling when the information in his mind interrupted him. He had no choice but to put his thoughts aside and absorb this strange information.
A moment later, Chen Qing gave a bitter smile and waved the two women out. He wasn't used to the silent lounge.
"Ah!"
Jiang Fang's sudden cry startled Yao Rao into jumping up, but Yao Rao didn't take it out on her. Instead, she grabbed Chen Qing by the collar.
"What was that lotus? It was so beautiful!"
"..."
After finally calming the two women down, Chen Qing sat quietly and told them what had happened.
"You saw it too. It's a Supreme Treasure of the same origin as me, but it's also a plant life-form. Well, you could say it's my clone!"
"What are the Primal Universe and clones?"
"Uh! All right, I'll start from the beginning!"
Using the inheritance as an excuse, Chen Qing explained the basic facts about the universe and its factions, then filled them in on what had just happened.
"So the Primal Universe Will thought it was too dangerous for 'you' out there, so it specially arranged a secret realm for you to gestate in?"
Jiang Fang found the whole thing too fantastic to believe. Her man wasn't being honest; she felt like he was hiding a lot from her. Still, he did tell her what she needed to know.
"You really are the Primal Universe's precious son! No wonder you're confident enough to handle two women at once."
Yao Rao's words made Jiang Fang's face grow warm. She glared at her sister, then pretended to be nonchalant as she turned back to Chen Qing.
"What's this secret realm like?"
Chen Qing's casual expression faded. Even the safest secret realm was safe only in relative terms. Most secret realms, even the smallest ones, were places where World Lords trained!
For the two women, the priority now was reaching the domain stage. Once they had Locke Divine Water, they could quickly reach the peak.
They also needed to raise Cloud-Touching Vine. Only then would they have a chance to explore further.
Before you continue