No. 3

According to the original story, Hu Yanbo had spent his life alone, never joining any major power. He had relied entirely on his own talent and opportunities to find his way forward.

Even so, he had still reached the strength of a Marquis Immortal—barely.

His talent was truly astonishing.

Qin Ming mused to himself: If Hu Yanbo had joined a peak power like the Virtual Universe Company or the Giant Axe Dojo back then,

with the organization's training and abundant resources, his talent and disposition would have made becoming a King Rank Immortal a certainty at the very least. He might even have had a slim chance of becoming a Universe Venerable.

This wasn't baseless speculation.

In the original story's future, after being resurrected, Hu Yanbo had indeed become a Universe Venerable with Luo Feng's help.

Although this happened in an era when Luo Feng had obtained the Origin Continent inheritance and the chances of Humanity as a whole making breakthroughs had greatly increased, it still served as indirect proof of Hu Yanbo's potential.

Of course, nothing in life was certain. There was another possibility!

If Hu Yanbo had joined a major power early on and become embroiled in its brutal competition and missions, he might have died before he had the chance to grow, perhaps never even becoming an Immortal.

At that thought, Qin Ming quickly gathered his thoughts. He had no intention of interfering with Hu Yanbo's fate.

Luo Feng's early experiences on Earth, including inheriting the Yunmo Star Inheritance, had been crucial to his rise.

If Qin Ming rashly changed things, it was hard to say whether the "Galaxy Lord" who dominated the Universe Ocean would ever come into being.

"But..." A thought suddenly took root in his mind.

"Earth itself might be a good place to visit."

According to the original story, Earth had been transformed by the reincarnated Divine King, Mountain Guest, using special methods. Being there greatly benefited one's spirit and helped one reach new heights of mental cultivation.

His will had improved considerably after being tempered in the Ancient God Ruins.

But his mental cultivation still had a lot of room for improvement. If he could spend some time cultivating in Earth's unique environment, he might gain something unexpected.

Once the thought had occurred to him, it quickly took root like a seed.

"Once the Inspector Envoy's affairs are somewhat in order, I'll find a suitable time... Perhaps I can visit that blue planet in the Solar System." Qin Ming made up his mind.

On the surface, he continued to calmly respond to the introductions and pleasantries from the three ministers and other important figures, his expression unchanged. No one could tell that he had begun to consider visiting that blue planet.

Besides, even though they were different worlds, Earth could still be considered another home of his!

The banquet ended, and the guests from all sides dispersed.

Qin Ming didn't stay long on Qiongyu Planet. After handling some necessary handovers, he led the Guard Army aboard a spaceship and prepared to return to Lanfeng Planet in the Quicksand Star System, where his family was based.

At the same time Qin Ming set off, tens of thousands of light-years from Qiongyu Planet, deep underground on Dawa Planet—a seemingly ordinary life-bearing planet—there was a highly concealed base.

"Squad Leader, the latest intelligence has arrived through an encrypted channel on the Virtual Universe Network. After 458 layers of sequential translation and the substitution of characters corresponding to cosmic coordinates, the decoded message is as follows: Target No. 3 (Qin Ming) recently left Qiongyu Planet aboard a spaceship with the Guard Army. His destination is unknown.

"Based on a comprehensive analysis of the data, the Intelligence Department estimates there's a 90% chance he's returning to his home, Lanfeng Planet." A bald man in a silver uniform, with a third eye in his forehead, reported respectfully.

"Hmm."

Another bald, three-eyed man in a black uniform stared coldly at the virtual screen floating before him.

The screen displayed detailed information about "Qin Ming," though many entries were marked "insufficient information" or "verification pending."

"We still have very little information on No. 3, yet he already ranks third on the Assassination List.

"We must gather enough detailed information and devise a flawless plan before we act.

"Every time we strike within Human Territory, we pay a tremendous price." The black-clad squad leader spoke in a low voice.

"Also..." A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Order the 3rd Infiltration Squad, the closest squad to the Quicksand Star System, to head to the target's home planet, Lanfeng Planet, and conduct covert surveillance immediately. Gather as much information as possible about his family, the planet's defenses, the target's habits, and every other detail. Stay hidden. Do not alert them."

"Yes!" The bald, three-eyed man in silver immediately accepted the order, then turned and relayed it through a specially encrypted channel.

At that moment, Qin Ming was traveling through the Dark Universe aboard his spaceship, unaware of any of this. He had been placed on a major assassination list by hostile alien forces, ranked third!

The journey from Qiongyu Planet to Lanfeng Planet was a long one. Even with the spaceship traveling through the Dark Universe at 49 times the speed of light, it would still take a month and a half.

Half a month later.

High above Lanfeng Planet, which the Qin Family had spent years developing as its homeworld, a spaceship evaded the sensors and quietly broke through the planet's atmosphere. It landed without a sound in a desolate mountain range on the far side of the planet.

The hatch opened, and several people whose appearance was roughly the same as the inhabitants of Lanfeng Planet quickly scattered. Like drops of water disappearing into the desert, they slipped silently into the seemingly tranquil world.

The Alien Race's infiltration squad—the 3rd Squad—was in position!

The Qin Family estate on Lanfeng Planet.

The planet's central region had now been fortified like an iron barrel.

Every day, large numbers of Star Level and Universe Level guards in matching uniforms patrolled the area rigorously. Small patrol craft also occasionally swept across the sky, while an invisible sensor network covered the major settlements.

As the guards took breaks between shifts, they couldn't help talking in hushed voices.

"Have you noticed? A lot of the family's people who were away have come back recently."

"Yeah. Even Lady Qin Xue, Lady Qin Lan, and Lord Qin Shou have returned from distant regions! Something big must be happening."

"I heard it might be because that person... is coming back." A guard who seemed to have better sources of information lowered his voice.

"That person? Which lord?" Someone didn't catch on right away.

There were simply too many people in the Qin Family who were addressed as "lord" or "lady," whether they were from the main branch or collateral branches, and they were scattered all over the place.

But some quick-witted guards, or those with good sources, quickly guessed the answer. Awe and excitement showed on their faces.

"You mean... Lord Qin Ming?" someone blurted out.

"Shh! Just knowing is enough. Don't spread it around!" The guard who had spoken first quickly hushed him.

"How do you know? Is the information reliable?"

"I was assigned to serve as Young Master Qin Xiao's temporary guard a while ago. I heard him mention it to one of his friends by accident. He said his Third Uncle was coming back and that he hadn't met him in person yet. He was really looking forward to it."

"Young Master Qin Xiao said that? Then it must be true!"

The guards immediately understood.

Qin Xiao was the youngest son of Lord Qin Shou. He was only eight years old, but Qin Shou valued him highly because of his excellent cultivation talent. It was no surprise that he knew some of the family's core information.