The Primal Mother Opened Her Warm Embrace

Once everyone had calmed down, Chen Qing began to discuss the real matter—the Fire Phoenix Organization had been dragging on for too long.

Perhaps because Panxi had just left and had no chance to relay information, the Cuilang Star Sector still appeared peaceful on the surface.

The Commerce Department had moved quickly; two months was enough to have everything arranged clearly. Now was the time to strike!

"Big Brother, Second Brother, you two handle the rest. The three of us won't be participating."

The Virtual Company's moves weren't like theirs—a few supervisors could easily clean things up.

If it weren't for giving face to the Pinghai Company, or rather, to the people above, they might not have bothered to take a look at all.

Hong nodded as well. There was no need for any of them to get involved in this kind of glory-seeking.

"In that case, none of us will meddle. What are your plans afterward?"

Chen Qing tapped his fingers on the table, glancing back at the two women. Neither spoke, merely signaling for him to decide.

"We'll leave soon. Maybe go see some other universe countries, find a small secret realm to train in later!"

To be honest, if it weren't for waiting for Hong and the others, Chen Qing wouldn't want to stay a moment longer. He always felt uneasy.

"So soon!"

Thor muttered under his breath but didn't press further. The Fourth's mysteriousness wasn't something new; such a decision wasn't surprising. Hong also gave Chen Qing a deep look.

"In that case, we won't say more. If anything comes up, contact us through the Virtual Universe!"

"Alright."

In the Dark Universe, Chen Qing's newly purchased "Anle" sailed steadily into the distance under Spirit Butterfly's control.

Inside the ship's lounge, Jiang Fang and Yao Rao sat across from Chen Qing, staring at him seriously.

"Chen Qing, what exactly happened to make you so anxious?"

Jiang Fang had been with Chen Qing the longest. Over the years, though he never said much, the subtle differences in his demeanor were unmistakable.

Especially when discussing the Fire Phoenix Organization, Chen Qing kept rubbing his thumb against his index finger—even Yao Rao had noticed.

Yao Rao didn't speak, but her usual smile was gone. She just stared fixedly at Chen Qing.

"How to put it... It's still about what Xu Xin said last time. I can't figure out why someone from above would send word."

Chen Qing licked his lips, his eyes narrowing. Some things couldn't be hidden from the ones who shared his bed forever.

"Luo Feng doesn't have the time or the authority, but who else could it be?

Then there's the matter of the Foundation, but no matter how I think about it, it shouldn't be the Pinghai Company!"

"And then?"

Yao Rao sounded like she was enjoying the story and was a bit dissatisfied that Chen Qing had stopped.

"That has nothing to do with you running away, young man. I can tell you want to slip off, sister knows it well!"

"Sister Demon, look at what you're saying! 'Slip off'?"

Chen Qing didn't like her phrasing. "Running away is running away—I'm not stupid!"

"Giggle giggle." Yao Rao was amused by Chen Qing. "I finally get it. No wonder Jiang Fang said you're thick-skinned!"

Chen Qing didn't mind. He shrugged and continued the previous topic.

"There is something, but I can't say it. Just know it's more important than Earth!"

Seeing Yao Rao's slightly parted lips, Chen Qing couldn't resist pouncing on her—he'd wanted to for a while!

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Jiang Fang's face. She remembered her first time had been like this too. Did Chen Qing have some kind of little quirk?

After a moment, she helplessly patted the two of them. They hadn't finished talking about serious matters, and now they were about to go off track again.

"And you call that 'something'?"

Jiang Fang rubbed her temples, sighing inwardly. "What are your plans? And find a place to drop us off."

Yao Rao shot Chen Qing a glare but said nothing, simply hugging Jiang Fang's arm, clearly agreeing with her sister's decision.

"We'll see..."

Chen Qing frowned. Suddenly, the Green Lotus in his Origin Core trembled, interrupting his train of thought.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Chen Qing's brow suddenly furrow, the two women's hearts jumped. Before Chen Qing could answer, a chaotic alarm blared through the ship!

"Master, violent energy fluctuations have suddenly appeared around the ship! Cause unknown, energy levels continuing to rise..."

Chen Qing had no time to feel fear. He instantly stored both women in his Inner World. This was the Dark Universe—if the ship broke apart, they wouldn't even have a chance to react!

What the hell? It wasn't an alien race—they weren't even trying to capture him, just straight-up destruction?

But what Chen Qing didn't know was that this energy came from the void, only affecting a few hundred thousand kilometers around, swallowing the ship before vanishing without a trace!

After an unknown amount of time, the ship's shaking stopped. Chen Qing stood there dazed for a long time before snapping back to reality.

"Not an attack? Spirit Butterfly, check the ship's damage. Run the detectors and scan!"

Chen Qing steadied himself, saw nothing unusual around, and quickly instructed his intelligent assistant.

"Master, the ship's hull is 16% damaged, energy depleted by 45%. An unknown space detected—extremely high energy density, mixed unknown life energy signatures, danger level unknown!"

"External view simulation!"

"Yes, Master!"

As the ship turned transparent, Chen Qing couldn't help blurting out, "What the hell is this place?"

Before him stretched a vast flatland, with layered mountains in the distance shrouded in mist. The sky was a boundless curtain of light, crackling with thunder, countless streaks of light racing past at high speed.

Suddenly, time and space froze here. Chen Qing remained with his mouth open mid-exclamation. A supreme will appeared beside him, left a strand of information, and vanished without a trace.

Before he could finish his lament, Chen Qing was interrupted by the information flooding his mind. He had no choice but to set aside his thoughts and absorb this bizarrely appearing thing.

After a moment, Chen Qing shook his head with a wry smile. He waved his hand and released the two women. The silent hall made him deeply uncomfortable.

"Ah!"

Jiang Fang's sudden scream startled Yao Rao into jumping. But Yao Rao didn't go after Jiang Fang—instead, she grabbed Chen Qing by the collar.

"What was that lotus? So beautiful!"

"..."

It took some effort to calm them both down. They sat quietly and listened to Chen Qing tell his story.

"You saw it too. That was a legacy treasure of the same origin as me, but also a plant lifeform. Well, you could call it my clone!"

"What is the Primal Universe? A clone?"

"Uh... fine, let me start from the beginning!"

After Chen Qing used the legacy as an excuse to explain the basic knowledge of the universe and its major powers, and also clarify what had just happened—

"So the Primal Universe's will thought 'you' were too dangerous outside, and specially arranged a secret realm for you to gestate in?"

Jiang Fang felt this was too surreal. Her man wasn't being honest—she sensed he was hiding many things. But she figured she'd learn what she needed to when the time came.

"You really are the Primal Universe's favorite son! No wonder you're confident enough to handle two at once."

Yao Rao's words made Jiang Fang's face flush. She shot a glare at her sister, then pretended nothing was wrong as she looked at Chen Qing.

"What's the situation with this secret realm?"

Chen Qing dropped his relaxed expression. A secret realm being safe was only relative. Even the smallest secret realms were mostly places for Domain Lords to train!

For the two women, their top priority now was to comprehend their domains. With the Locke Divine Water, they could quickly reach their peak.

And they needed to nurture the Cloud-Touching Vine as well, before they could explore further.