Unique and harsh environments gave rise to ecosystems found only on their respective planets.
A long-haired creature resembling a camel trudged across the thick snow. It was called a Pirote, and adults stood nearly ten meters tall. The Pirote struggled to cross an ice fissure blocking its path and reached a boulder. It quickly scraped out a hollow, curled up, and lay down inside.
A roar rang out in the sky. The Pirote sprang up in terror and raced across the white wasteland, only to stumble and fall into an ice fissure.
A black, disk-shaped spaceship hovered overhead. A figure flew out of it—it was Tuosi. His expressionless face brought Chen Beixun to mind, and he unconsciously clenched his fist, letting his telekinetic power spill out. The force sealed the ice fissure nearby. From above, it looked like an enormous blue maw snapping shut.
Tuosi stood nearly three meters tall. He had lowered his height himself the last time he met Chen Beixun to negotiate. Now he stood before a magnificent building, the corner of his mouth twitching. His black robe was speckled with bloodstains and fluttered in the snow and wind.
"Damn it," Tuosi cursed, then slowly climbed the dark stone steps to the palace. He enjoyed taking them one at a time. As he saw it, a strong man's path was like a staircase.
He was a powerful man, and it had been a long time since anyone had humiliated him—especially a slave from a planet he had once controlled!
"I thought that guy was only Star Level. For him to be so bold, he must have reached Universe Level. If I could recruit him, he'd be a tremendous asset." Tuosi's gaze shifted as he considered the matter.
"Could the email I had someone write and send on my behalf have offended him?" Tuosi stopped to think it over. It seemed entirely possible.
"If that's true, then all the effort I put into gathering information on him has gone to waste?" Tuosi muttered unhappily, then contacted his subordinate.
After all, most powerful figures cared about their reputation!
"Idiot!" Tuosi cursed when he learned what had happened, then strode into the palace. Inside was a sea of beautiful women, all different in type and appearance. The palace had been built for Tuosi's inner circle; its opulence and decadence spoke for themselves.
Tuosi looked displeased. No one approached him.
Two million kilometers from Tuosi Planet, the Linkong had deployed a probe and was quietly monitoring everything.
"Tuosi really knows how to enjoy himself. Eight women are waiting on him," Chen Beixun said, watching the footage relayed by the probe.
Qishan raised an eyebrow. "That's nothing. One Immortal in the Huqu Universe Kingdom had a way of doing things that still sticks with me. It left your teacher speechless, too."
"Oh?" Chen Beixun tilted his head and folded his arms, surprised. "It left our teacher speechless?!"
Qishan simply gave him a meaningful smile and said no more.
Chen Beixun turned his attention back to the projected image and thought, You don't have much longer to live.
"The spaceship is about to make the jump!" Qishan said.
The ship trembled slightly.
It lasted less than three seconds.
The Linkong came to a halt in the vastness of space, then instantly accelerated forward.
"The Linkong took heavy damage in the previous battle. Its acceleration and maneuverability have both dropped considerably. Looks like it needs a major overhaul." Qishan thought this to himself, then glanced at Chen Beixun and said, "We'll arrive in three minutes."
Chen Beixun nodded.
The Linkong was so technologically advanced that Tuosi and his family would never detect it.
Three minutes later...
"We're here." Chen Beixun flew out of the ship and hovered in the air, looking down at Tuosi, who was still flirting with his concubines. He raised a hand and aimed at him. A rectangular object protruded from his arm, with a sharp spike extending from its front.
With a loud boom, the spike shot out. The terrifying recoil sent Chen Beixun backward, and several rings of white vapor formed sixty meters ahead of him, lined up one after another.
The spike pierced through Tuosi at tremendous speed, then angled down and exploded, reducing the entire palace to rubble!
Chen Beixun swept the area with his telekinetic power and found that Tuosi was still alive. He immediately plunged downward as several flying blades appeared beside him. With a thought, he formed them into a spinning wheel and sent them slashing straight down. The ground split open into a chasm 251 meters wide, like a gaping maw swallowing the palace ruins.
"He should be dead for good now, right?" Chen Beixun said with a frown. He started to leave, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He took a Fire Crystal out of his Space Ring and tossed it aside before boarding the ship.
A mushroom cloud rose above the palace, and a terrifying wave of heat swept across half the planet.
By then, the spaceship had accelerated to the speed of light and crossed into the Dark Universe.
Inside the spaceship.
"Mission accomplished." Chen Beixun clapped his hands.
"We were a little slow, but fortunately the ship's cloaking system is advanced," Qishan said coldly, then changed the subject. "Now, stick to the original plan."
First, buy a planet to hide on.
Second, try to contact the Immortal Expert Li Di and have him introduce you to the Virtual Universe Company.
Third, improve your strength as quickly as possible: first, for the Warrior Tournament; second, to inherit your teacher's legacy.
Qishan stared intently at Chen Beixun.
Chen Beixun nodded slightly.
The top priority now was to buy a planet.
Liuheng Star was an administrative planet in the Tianchen Empire.
At the heart of the planet's most prosperous region stood its landmark building, the Imperial Office.
Chen Beixun stepped inside.
"You want to buy a planet?"
The Imperial officials on Liuheng Star were a little dumbfounded. This was rare; after all, the vast majority of powerful figures handled such transactions privately.
"Please come this way, sir." Though the Empire was puzzled, the officials still welcomed him warmly. After all, the man standing before them was a Universe Level powerhouse.
"Liuheng Star must be pretty important to the Tianchen Empire. They've sent a Star Level ninth-stage official to receive me," Chen Beixun thought, then followed the official into a room.
The official was somewhat ill at ease before Chen Beixun, his back involuntarily bending. With a smile, he introduced several suitable planets.
"This one is designated 572..."
"This one is designated 699..."
Following Qishan's guidance, Chen Beixun chose a habitable planet designated 996.
It cost three trillion Tianchen Coins.
By imperial tradition, buyers had to give their planet a name.
After much deliberation, Chen Beixun named it Demon Island Planet.
"Demon Island Planet?" Most powerful figures named their home planets after themselves. The Imperial official flattered him. "What a fine name!"
After completing the paperwork, Chen Beixun quickly left aboard a D-class spaceship.
Demon Island Planet was in a remote location, and the journey would take about half a month.
Half a month later...
A D-class spaceship flew through the Dark Universe.
The D-class spaceship trembled slightly as it made a Cosmic Shuttle.
"Shuttle complete." Qishan's voice rang out in the ship's control cabin.
Hearing him, Chen Beixun raised his eyelids and gazed at the perfectly simulated starry sky. "This is where Demon Island Planet is, right?" he murmured.
He stood up and stretched a little, then left the spaceship and entered the vacuum of space.
Chen Beixun held a World Gem in his hand. Then, with a thought...