August 2061.
The Earth Federation had been fully established, so Su Zhe no longer needed to divide his attention by managing it. Atkin was weak, and his management skills weren't particularly good either, but good enough was good enough. Besides, the former leaders of the various nations would make sure everything was properly managed.
Su Zhe only needed to focus on improving his strength.
Nearly a month had passed since he'd left the Pacific island and returned to Yangzhou City to clear his head.
During that month, Su Zhe hadn't entered the Decisive Battle Space or the Killing Field again. He'd simply stayed home, chatting with his father, Su Yongyi.
Ever since obtaining the Blacklight Virus, Su Zhe had been constantly pushing himself to catch up with Luo Feng as quickly as possible. Now that he'd temporarily caught up, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Standing atop Yangzhou City, Su Zhe looked down at the countless lights below. The sun was setting, and the city lights had just begun to glow.
Though Earth Humans hadn't yet recovered the prosperity they'd enjoyed before the Great Nirvana, things were gradually improving as the King-level and Emperor-level monsters were wiped out.
As he gazed down, countless fragments of memories he'd devoured in the past, insights from battle... even the insights related to the Conception of Fire, all flashed through Su Zhe's mind.
These memories were like ore tossed into a furnace, continuously fusing together before his eyes.
"Fire..."
Su Zhe murmured and held out his hand. Without deliberately activating anything, a strand of black flame, deep as the night, rose from his palm.
A domain was an extension of one's will.
And the mind was inseparably connected to the will.
The black flame danced in Su Zhe's palm, shifting its shape. At times it flicked like a serpent tasting the air; at others, it bloomed like a lotus.
At last, it slowly took the form of a tiny black cat, identical to the Spirit of Nihility Devouring Flame within him!
This wasn't the Void Devouring Flame itself, but a flame Su Zhe had created using the Genetic Origin Energy in his body. Yet it carried a trace of the Void Devouring Flame's power. The properties of the Genetic Origin Energy in his body had long since changed to resemble those of the Void Devouring Flame.
—Perhaps the Blacklight Virus had played a part in that, too.
The little flame cat sat in Su Zhe's palm, tilting its head as it gazed quietly at him.
Though it made no sound, a strange connection formed between Su Zhe and the creature of flame.
At that very moment!
A sudden flash of insight struck Su Zhe. In his mind, some invisible barrier seemed to shatter with a crash!
Buzz—!
An invisible wave instantly spread outward from him!
The air within a hundred meters twisted and boiled.
This wasn't the visual distortion caused by high temperatures. It was as though space itself had been enveloped by an invisible, viscous field of black flame!
This was... a domain!
The Domain of Fire!
Unlike ordinary Flame Domains, with their heat and light, Su Zhe's domain bore the unique properties of the Void Devouring Flame—the power to devour and annihilate everything.
Within Su Zhe's domain, even light seemed to be swallowed, leaving everything dim. The air around him no longer flowed freely; instead, it grew thick as ink, pressing down with a heavy force.
Though it was the Domain of Fire, it seemed to possess traits of other domains as well. That was the result of its devouring property.
Faint wisps of invisible black flame appeared and disappeared within the domain, radiating an annihilating aura that made one's heart tremble.
Within the Domain of Fire, Su Zhe's strength increased dramatically!
"I did it!"
A gleam flashed in Su Zhe's eyes. The little flame cat in his palm leaped joyfully, then merged into his body and fused with the Spirit of Nihility Devouring Flame.
With the Void Devouring Flame reinforcing it, the Domain of Fire seemed to grow even stronger.
"Congratulations!" Babata's delighted voice rang out in Su Zhe's mind.
"You've mastered a domain at Stellar Level One! And such a unique Domain of Fire, too! Su Zhe, your talent... even in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, you'd rank among the very best! Haha, the Yunmo Star Lineage has hope of rising again!"
Babata exclaimed in amazement.
There was no need to compare himself with those two freaks, Hong and Thunder God, who'd mastered domains while only at Planetary Level.
The talent Luo Feng and Su Zhe had already shown was more than enough to revive the Yunmo Star Lineage!
Su Zhe chuckled. Revive the Yunmo Star Lineage? Perhaps.
Once his strength improved, even a little help from him would be enough to revive the Yunmo Star Lineage.
For now, though, improving his strength was more important.
Now that Su Zhe had mastered the Domain of Fire, even if it was only at the first level, the boost it gave him was beyond anything he could get from training in techniques like Flowing Fire Blade or Thousand Shadows.
"Babata, how much does a domain improve combat strength?" Su Zhe asked casually as he withdrew his domain with a thought.
He hadn't encountered anyone with a domain in the Decisive Battle Space, and there was even less need to mention the real world. He'd always known domains were powerful, but had never experienced one firsthand.
"The difference is like heaven and earth!" Babata declared. "An ordinary Star Level Nine without a domain probably wouldn't last three moves against you!"
"Even against a Star Level Three or Four who's mastered an ordinary domain, you'd still have a chance!"
"Your domain contains the properties of devouring and annihilation, making it extremely effective at weakening energy attacks. It's a nightmare for anyone who gets close, too! Add your ability to recover by devouring energy... tsk, you're practically impossible to kill!"
Su Zhe nodded. Someone at Planetary Level who possessed a domain could be called invincible at that level. Having a domain at Star Level wasn't quite so overwhelming, but it was still incredibly powerful.
"Then... it's time to get ready to enter the universe again."
Su Zhe spoke.
With a domain mastered, he was practically invincible among those at Star Level, unless he ran into some monstrous exceptions!
"Okay."
Babata nodded. It would stay with Su Zhe while he was on Earth, but once he left the planet, it wouldn't go with him. Su Zhe already had his own AI assistant.
Babata decided to tell Luo Feng about this first—and give him a little push while it was at it.
Luo Feng still hadn't mastered the Domain of Metal!
August 11.
After saying goodbye to Su Yongyi, Su Zhe decided to set off for the universe again.
This time, he wouldn't be back so soon.
He'd be staying in the universe for at least a few months, perhaps even a year or two, before returning to Earth.
By then, Luo Feng might have already cultivated a clone.
After Luo Feng cultivated his clone, Su Zhe would have to return the Black Dragon Spaceship to him.
"I'm leaving."
On the Pacific island, Su Zhe spoke to Luo Feng.
Luo Feng nodded solemnly. Su Zhe's mastery of a domain had certainly spurred him on. He'd watched Su Zhe rise step by step from Apprentice Level to surpass him, and naturally, he didn't want to be left behind.
Watching Su Zhe's spaceship depart, Luo Feng secretly resolved to master a domain as soon as possible.
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