Amid the crowd, Luo Feng hurriedly called out to Babata in his mind.
"Babata, do you think Councilor Li can deal with this Golden Horned Beast? At Mist Island, didn't you say he had the strength of a Stellar Level Three?"
"What are you thinking? That liar may have reached the Star Level, but this is a Star-Level Golden Horned Beast! It has one of the most powerful bloodlines in the universe, even stronger than the strongest bloodline among us humans!"
"Although this Golden Horned Beast only recently reached the Star Level, its bloodline is far too powerful. With that liar's strength, he has no chance at all."
Babata's words struck Luo Feng's soul like a heavy hammer, leaving him dazed.
"No!"
Luo Feng felt his soul tremble with pain.
If all the Earth Humans were wiped out, what meaning would there be in staying alive?
"I have to kill it!"
Luo Feng stared at the frozen image of the Golden Horned Beast on the conference hall's screen.
While Luo Feng discussed things with Babata in his mind, everyone else was also debating what to do.
The entire conference hall was filled with people.
Whether they were Councilor Level fighters, national leaders, or weapons experts specially invited to the meeting, they were all racking their brains for a solution.
They were all part of Earth, and not one of them was willing to give up.
Everyone in the conference hall was anxious.
"Brother Hong, you're not sure either?"
Thor and Hong sat in a corner, with no one else nearby.
"No."
Hong shook his head slightly, but his gaze remained resolute as he said in a low voice, "Even if I'm not sure, I'll have to fight when the time comes. With my current Planetary Level Seven strength and my domain, I'm invincible among Planetary Levels. And with the Cloud-Touching Vine, which has grown rapidly by consuming Wood Bud Crystals, I might still have a chance in a life-or-death battle against a Stellar Level One fighter!"
"The biggest problem is that we don't know how strong this Devourer Beast is."
Hong's voice was low.
"Mm."
Thor nodded slightly.
But Hong and Thor clearly didn't understand that a Stellar Level One human fighter and a Stellar Level One monster weren't the same.
That was especially true of the terrifying Starry Sky Behemoths—and this was a Golden Horned Beast, one of the most powerful bloodlines among them, known as one of the mightiest bloodlines in the vast universe.
That was also the main reason Babata was certain Earth was doomed.
"Everyone!"
"This is footage of the Devourer Beast that America just sent us!"
Everyone fell silent at once.
A new video began playing on the screen. It showed a vast Wilderness Zone, with a military base spanning a wide river.
Yet a steady stream of troops was fleeing the base. Tens of thousands of soldiers were scrambling to escape.
But the Starry Sky Behemoth was too fast. The troops hadn't evacuated in time.
On the screen, a streak of golden light came to a halt. It was the Golden Horned Beast, with four clawed limbs and a pair of scaly wings.
The conference hall fell silent.
The Golden Horned Beast swooped across the military base like lightning.
The scales on its wings sliced through the base like blades. The entire structure was as fragile as tofu, collapsing to pieces in an instant.
The base was reduced to ruins.
The Golden Horned Beast's cold, dark-golden eyes gazed at the flying saucer fighters fleeing in every direction. In its eyes, their speed was laughable.
It merely swung one of its front claws!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Five golden beams shot out at incredible speed, striking five flying saucer fighters in the distance. The aircraft exploded with a bang, turning into fireballs!
The five fireballs stood out against the dark sky.
The video ended.
"Everyone, we've learned two things from this footage."
"First, it didn't devour the military base this time. It destroyed it. Second, it has a long-range attack."
"Damn it!"
A burst of angry cursing erupted throughout the conference hall.
They had planned to use a super-high-yield hydrogen bomb, detonating it on the Starry Sky Behemoth's body or inside its mouth. But they hadn't expected it to have a long-range attack.
Watching the Golden Horned Beast frolic on the screen, Li Qingxu's eyes flickered.
He'd better act soon. It would be bad if they actually managed to kill it.
After all, Hong's Light Domain had already reached the fourth level. If the Golden Horned Beast were left gravely wounded by the B6-Grade Laser Cannon, Hong might really manage to take it down at the cost of his own life.
As Li Qingxu headed for the conference hall's exit, everyone's attention instantly shifted to him.
They didn't understand why one of Earth's strongest fighters was leaving without saying a word. Was he running away?
"Are you leaving?"
Hong hurriedly stood up and called out.
"What else? How am I supposed to stop it by standing here—just by looking at it?"
Li Qingxu turned to glance at Hong with an amused smile.
"Can you do it?"
Hong's voice was low.
He had never seen Li Qingxu's true strength, and the creature was a Starry Sky Behemoth from the universe, after all. He couldn't help worrying.
Hong's question was on everyone's mind. They looked at Li Qingxu, dressed in white, each with a different expression, as though hoping to hear him say, "Yes."
"Mm."
Li Qingxu thought for a moment. "It's fifty-fifty."
After all, he couldn't kill it, so he had to keep his strength in check.
"Only a fifty percent chance?"
Hong seemed to think of something and said quickly, "I'll go with you."
"I'm coming too!"
Thor called out at once.
"You two can't even beat me. What would you go for?"
Li Qingxu looked at the two men, who seemed ready to face certain death, and said.
He remembered that in the original story, after the Golden Horned Beast had been gravely wounded by the laser cannon, Hong and Thor had burned their souls and still failed to finish it off.
Now the Golden Horned Beast was at full strength. They'd just be throwing their lives away.
Besides, he didn't actually want to kill the Golden Horned Beast.
"Lock onto its current location and keep me informed of its movements."
"I'm off."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qingxu vanished from the conference hall.
"Quick, quick!"
"Get every satellite moving!"
Urgent shouts rang out.
In an instant, the various countries and major organizations mobilized their satellites, searching for and locking onto the Starry Sky Behemoth.
The scene appeared on the enormous screen in the conference hall as well.
High above the Pacific Ocean, a gigantic beast, black as ink and with golden secret patterns winding around its horn, flew through the air. Its wings, covered in black scales, beat like a blur of shadows.
At the same time, an electronic voice sounded in the conference room. "The Devourer Beast is flying at 15,219 meters per second."
"Do you think Councilor Li can deal with this Starry Sky Behemoth?"
"Hard to say. But if he weren't confident, he probably wouldn't be going there recklessly."
Many people in the hall spoke quietly among themselves.
"We're just too weak."
Hong and Thor exchanged glances, each seeing the same helplessness in the other's eyes.
As the world's strongest and second-strongest fighters, they were facing a great enemy—and someone else had dismissed them as too weak.
In the penthouse suite at the top of Limit Dojo headquarters, Li Qingxu almost laughed.
With all those eyes fixed on him, it was as if he really were going off to die.
"Beep." A call came through on his Communication Watch.
Li Qingxu answered, and Hong's voice came through at once. "The Devourer Beast is currently over the Pacific Ocean, about ten thousand kilometers from you in a straight line."
"Mm."
Then Li Qingxu took a step forward and instantly appeared in the sky outside.
"Look, Councilor Li is smiling. He must be very confident."
"That's right."
Watching Li Qingxu, dressed in white and looking like an immortal descended to earth, many people in the conference hall exchanged smiles as they spoke.
"Could it be the calm smile of someone who's accepted his death?"
Suddenly, someone spoke up.
The conference hall fell deathly silent.
"Wait!"
"Look at Councilor Li's speed! He's so fast!"
On the screen, Li Qingxu had been standing outside Limit Dojo headquarters. He took a step forward, and his figure suddenly vanished.
When he appeared again, he took another step, and his figure disappeared once more.
The scenery beneath his feet seemed to be moving backward on its own.
"Councilor Li is moving at 131,313 meters per second."
An electronic voice sounded in the hall.
Everyone was stunned.
What an incredible speed! The Devourer Beast could only manage a little over ten thousand meters per second.
Councilor Li was ten times faster!
"Oh my god! Councilor Li is that strong!"
"We've won! Hahaha!"
The people in the hall burst into jubilant laughter.
If he was ten times faster than the beast, then Councilor Li's true strength had to be ten times greater too!
Even if it wasn't, he was definitely stronger than the Starry Sky Behemoth.
Inside Luo Feng's mindscape, Babata was genuinely stunned. He murmured, "Impossible. This can't be possible!"
"What's wrong, Babata? Isn't this a good thing? Why do you look like you've lost your soul?"
Luo Feng asked Babata in his mind, a smile on his face.
"Luo Feng, you don't understand. With his Stellar Level Three strength, he shouldn't be able to move that fast, unless..."
"Unless what?"
Babata's words made Luo Feng curious too.
"Unless he's grasped the threshold of the Law of Time!"
"That's the Law of Time!"
"My god, what have I missed?"
Babata was consumed by regret. If only he'd handed every Wood Bud Crystal and every treasure to that liar back then.
Even if he couldn't have persuaded him to become a successor of the Black Ink Star, becoming an unofficial disciple would have been good enough.
A Star-Level fighter who had grasped the threshold of the Law of Time—Babata had never heard of such a thing in all the millions of years he'd traveled the universe with his master.
And now, it had appeared on a remote, primitive planet!
"Grasped the threshold of the Law of Time?"
Babata's outburst left Luo Feng stunned for a moment. Then he said, sounding thoughtful, "I think I could grasp the Time Domain too, but I've never managed to make any progress. After that, I spent all my time improving my strength..."
"What did you say?"
Babata was stunned. One person was remarkable enough, but now here was another claiming he could grasp the Law of Time.
Was grasping the Law of Time really so easy on Earth?
Then Luo Feng told him about the secret technique Li Qingxu had passed on to him.
"You idiot! Luo Feng, you really are an idiot!"
"Damn it! You didn't spend time studying that supreme secret technique—you!"
Babata roared, looking utterly disappointed in the only successor of the Black Ink Star.
Above the Pacific Ocean, a gigantic black beast over 180 meters long flew swiftly through the sky, beating its scaled wings.
Its dark-golden eyes were filled with coldness, savagery, and bloodlust.
The Golden Horned Beast was one of the most terrifying kinds of Starry Sky Behemoth. Savagery and violence were ingrained in its bloodline!
"Hello, Golden Horned Beast."
A voice rang out in the sky.
Li Qingxu stood in midair, dressed in white, ethereal and graceful, his hands behind his back.
His black hair stirred in the sea breeze, and his clear eyes were as pure as spring water.
It was already deep night, and a waning moon hung in the sky.
The moonlight made him look like a Banished Immortal descended into the mortal world, his white robes immaculate.
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