Nine Thousand Years of Life, The Great Limit Approaches at the Start!

Ganwu Universe Kingdom, Luo Ke Star Sector, Qing Yang Empire, Azure Mist Planet.

Spaceport.

Amidst the endless flow of ships, a pitch-black "Blue Bird-III" class spacecraft, bearing the crest of the Lu Family, glided smoothly into its designated aristocratic berth.

Inside the cabin, a middle-aged man clad in cyan runic battle armor, his presence as deep and still as an abyss, gazed through the massive porthole at the magnificent and orderly spaceport, a trace of imperceptible emotion flickering in his eyes.

Behind him, four young men and women crowded by the window. Though they were dressed in finery and possessed extraordinary temperaments, they could not hide the novelty and excitement in their eyes as they surveyed the most prosperous interstellar hub of the empire.

"Lord Mo, have we arrived at Azure Mist Planet?"

A tall, red-haired girl with a flame-shaped mark between her brows could not help but speak, her voice filled with cheer.

"Mm."

The cyan-armored man known as Lord Mo nodded slightly. His gaze swept over the scene outside the window, which was countless times more developed than their home planet, and he said in a deep voice, "This is Azure Mist Planet, the ancestral home of my Lu Family."

He turned his gaze to the four most outstanding talents of the Lu Family's current generation behind him, his tone turning solemn: "The four of you were selected from the hundreds of life planets under our jurisdiction as the top geniuses of the past century. This audience is a tremendous opportunity we have secured for you."

He paused, his voice growing heavier. "Shortly, you will have the chance to meet the Old Ancestor of the Lu Family."

"If you can gain his favor, even a few words of guidance will be enough to benefit you for a lifetime. If you are fortunate enough... to be taken as a registered disciple..."

Lord Mo did not continue, but the breathing of the four young people quickened instantly, the excitement in their eyes turning into immense longing and awe.

The legends surrounding the Old Ancestor of the Azure Mist Planet Lu Family had long since spread to every corner of the empire.

He was an ancient existence who had lived for over ninety thousand years!

A peak Universe-level 9 powerhouse!

He was the pillar of heaven and the stabilizing needle for the Lu Family on Azure Mist Planet!

His fame did not only ring throughout the territory of the Qing Yang Empire; even the neighboring elementary civilization kingdoms and several major powers in the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector knew that the Qing Yang Empire possessed a "Giant Axe Warrior" who had fought his way out of life-and-death battles in the Giant Axe Martial Arena!

Even the great Qingyang Sovereign held the Lu Family Old Ancestor in awe.

If they could enter the tutelage of such a legendary powerhouse, even as a mere name on a roster, the significance would far exceed any reward, fundamentally altering their destinies and the fates of the families behind them!

The hatch of the Blue Bird-III opened silently, and the group, filled with excitement and reverence, stepped onto the soil of Azure Mist Planet.

In the far north of the Azure Mist Planet continent, beneath ten thousand years of glaciers, inside a cultivation chamber cast entirely from the D-grade metal "Black Jet Gold."

BOOM!!!

A terrifying force, as if capable of tearing apart the stars, erupted suddenly. Violent energy shockwaves swept through the entire chamber like a supernova explosion!!

The indestructible Black Jet Gold walls emitted a teeth-grinding sound of distortion!

Fortunately, this destructive energy burst lasted only for an instant before coming to an abrupt halt; otherwise, this chamber, capable of withstanding any attack below the Domain Lord level, might truly have risked total disintegration.

"Hah..."

Amidst the dust of energy permeated with the aura of destruction, Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which had witnessed nearly ten thousand years of time, were filled with unconcealable exhaustion and deep helplessness.

"Failed again..."

A sigh containing endless complex emotions echoed faintly in the empty chamber.

"The ninth time... the 'Spirit Marrow' I obtained only after exhausting most of the family's assets and shamelessly taking out a mortgage loan from the Cosmic Galaxy Bank... I truly thought I would shatter my shackles this time... yet, it was still nothing more than a mirage."

He sensed the force within his body dissipating once more and revealed a helpless, bitter smile.

"Is the gap in talent truly insurmountable?"

After ninety thousand years of cultivation, Lu Ming considered his state of mind to have been polished as hard as rock. Yet, the blow of failing to break through to the Domain Lord level nine times in a row—especially after this attempt, for which he was most prepared and held the highest expectations—still stirred turbulent waves in his otherwise calm heart.

He could not help but feel a sense of bewilderment.

Because his lifespan was coming to an end.

A Universe-level powerhouse has a theoretical lifespan of one hundred thousand years.

And he, at present..., was already over ninety-nine thousand years old.

He could clearly feel the deadline, originating from the depths of his soul, descending slowly like a sword hanging over his head.

"Less than... two hundred years left."

Lu Ming knew very well what this meant.

If he could not break through to the Domain Lord level within two hundred years to achieve a leap in his life essence and a surge in his lifespan, he, the old ancestor of the Lu Family, would turn into a handful of dust and vanish completely into this vast universe.

But in a mere century, how could he break through?

For this breakthrough, he had almost emptied the Lu Family's coffers and incurred a massive debt to the Cosmic Galaxy Bank.

Within a century, without a heaven-defying opportunity, it was absolutely impossible for him to gather the resources required for another attempt.

Moreover... even if he had the resources, would he necessarily succeed?

A surge of intense unwillingness welled up in his heart.

Lu Ming was a transmigrator.

Over ninety thousand years ago, he accidentally descended into this world, possessing the body of an ordinary youth on Azure Mist Planet.

At that time, Azure Mist Planet was still in an era where ferocious beasts ran rampant and the people lived in constant peril.

Relying on knowledge that transcended the era and decent talent, he rose through the ranks, sweeping across the starfields within a century to unify the planet and establish the Azure Mist Kingdom, earning him the title of Azure Mist Martial God.

However, good times did not last. A catastrophe descended from the heavens—the notorious Black Skull slave-hunting group discovered this primitive planet.

Faced with an absolute disparity in power, the resistance of Azure Mist Planet appeared pale and laughable.

Although Lu Ming fought to the death and slew two Stellar-level captains, he was ultimately suppressed.

The strong of the entire planet were implanted with slave chips and reduced to commodities.

Simply because of the potential he displayed, the slave owner arranged for him to become a gladiator in the Great Axe Arena.

Amidst endless slaughter and despair, he grew stronger step by step, from Planetary-level to Stellar-level, eventually breaking through to Universe-level, and after winning a thousand consecutive matches in the brutal Great Axe Death Match, he earned the title of Giant Axe Warrior and his freedom.

Relying on the reputation of the Giant Axe Warrior and the wealth he had accumulated, he bought back his home planet and established a family there to guard his native land.

Ten thousand years passed in the blink of an eye, like a fleeting dream.

Lu Ming slowly stood up, suppressing the chaotic memories.

"Two hundred years..."

Sensing the incredibly clear limit of his lifespan, he suddenly shook his head and chuckled.

"Having lived for tens of thousands of years and looked down upon the rise and fall of the world, I suppose it's been worth it, hasn't it?"

"If I had transmigrated to a world with a short lifespan, I would have likely been reincarnated several times over by now..."

Just as he was secretly lamenting, light and shadow converged before him, and the elegant phantom of a woman dressed in palace attire, composed of energy, appeared respectfully.

This was his intelligent lifeform, Azure Kite.

"Master,"

The phantom emitted a cold and respectful voice.

"The family envoy, Mo, has returned to Azure Mist Planet, bringing the four most outstanding geniuses from the life planets under his command, and requests an audience with you."

Mo?

That rigid little fellow?

In Lu Ming's mind, a figure who always wore green armor emerged.

"Has another hundred years passed already..."

Lu Ming said softly, his tone returning to its usual indifference.

"Bring them here."

[Ding! Detected host's intense unwillingness and will to survive, meeting binding conditions...]

[Sacrifice Return System binding in progress...]

[Binding successful!]

[This system can sacrifice all things to return every possibility! Please explore actively, Host!]

A cold, mechanical voice rang out in the depths of Lu Ming's mind without warning.

Lu Ming's figure stiffened abruptly, and an incredible, brilliant light erupted from the depths of his eyes!

"This is...?!"

A Golden Finger!!