Blood Descends

After completing these actions, the deity's avatar returned directly to the spacecraft, its mysterious silhouette flowing with runes as it entered a state of deep meditation.

For a fringe planet so barren of energy, with potential projections resulting in a low-level rating, he was unwilling to spare even a shred of extra attention.

Had the civilization advancement assessment not been a mandatory task designated by the Humanity Supreme Council, he would never have set foot in this desolate region.

Therefore, the tedious tasks of monitoring the entire assessment process, collecting data, and conducting preliminary evaluations were casually tossed to the spacecraft's main control AI and the Spirit Race's civilization guardian.

"As you command, Master. Monitoring data has been synchronized and shared with the civilization guardian."

The silver-white intelligent orb responded faithfully, the data streams on its surface accelerating as invisible detection beams blanketed the Blue Star below like a vast, inescapable net.

Irelia, left standing to the side, watched this scene quietly. Only after the assessment officially began and she confirmed that the deity had returned to his vessel with no further instructions did she bow deeply to the ship once more.

"Irelia takes her leave. Should Your Excellency have any commands, I shall exhaust every effort to fulfill them, even unto death!"

Having said this, she dared not linger to disturb him and returned to her own ship, enveloped in a stream of light.

As the heavy airlock closed silently behind her, sealing out the pressure radiating from a higher life form, Irelia's nerves, stretched to their breaking point, suddenly slackened.

She could no longer hold herself up; her legs went weak, and her body slid down the cold, smooth inner wall of the starship, her back pressing heavily against the cool metal.

Irelia buried her forehead deep between her drawn-up knees, curling into the corner of the corridor. The nobility and elegance she had maintained since she could remember vanished in that instant.

Her slender shoulders trembled uncontrollably. This was not weeping, but an instinctive shudder from her soul after enduring immense pressure.

The rise and fall of her family and their only hope were tied to this slim chance.

The burden was so heavy it left her nearly breathless.

The soft, luminous energy in the corridor bathed her figure in silence, revealing a fragility that had never been seen before.

But this did not last long.

After only a few breaths, Irelia jerked her head up!

Though the light of the diamond-shaped crystal on her forehead remained restrained, it became steady and resolute once more.

She inhaled the air inside the ship—scented with the faint, grassy fragrance unique to the Spirit Race—almost greedily, as if to exhale the lingering fear and weakness from her body.

The cool air rushed into her lungs like a shot of adrenaline, gradually calming her frantic heartbeat.

Irelia braced her hands against the cold metal wall behind her and used the leverage to stand firmly.

The folds of her star-mist gown rippled like water with her movement, instantly returning to a state of drape and elegance.

Save for a faint, almost imperceptible redness at the corners of her eyes, the loss of composure from moments ago seemed as if it had never occurred.

She set off toward the main control room at the ship's core, her mind racing at high speed.

Indifferent. Yet he did not make things difficult for me, and even tossed the trivial tasks my way. Perhaps he is of the neutral faction that only cares about cultivation. And such people often value results above all else.

This judgment allowed her taut nerves to relax slightly, and a faint sense of relief welled up within her.

As long as there was no hostility, there was still a chance!

She dared not covet the deity's favor; she only sought to perform her duties silently and without error.

If, when the assessment concluded successfully, this Excellency Xu Chen was in a decent mood, she might... she might be able to summon the greatest courage of her life and, with the humblest of postures, beg for a low-level, virtual network contact imprint.

Even if this imprint were never used—and she would never dare to use it—the mere fact that it might "accidentally" leak would be enough to make rival families wary.

After all, they would have no way of determining the true nature of her relationship with His Excellency Xu Chen.

By the time they went through the trouble of investigating, who knew how much time would have passed, or if they would even find anything at all? This was the sliver of breathing room in the darkness!

Before long, Irelia arrived at the main console and gave her orders in a focused voice.

"Xingyu, fully receive the data stream shared by His Excellency Xu Chen's ship AI. Perform real-time analysis and notify me immediately if there are any developments."

"Understood, Master."

A virtual sprite appeared out of thin air, circled Irelia once, and then merged into the main console.

After finishing her primary task, Irelia, feeling a secret sense of relief, walked slowly to the massive observation window at the bow of the ship. She first offered a respectful salute to the deity's vessel outside before turning her gaze downward.

She stared at the tiny, azure planet below, a complex expression crossing her delicate face.

For five thousand years, the resilience and will of the humans on Blue Star had made even her take notice, but unfortunately, they were too obsessed with endless internal strife.

Greed, suspicion, and ambition. The wars that had turned their brilliant civilization into scorched earth several times over were truly shocking to her.

Although she would have no further contact with this Blue Star civilization—which was located in a remote corner of human territory and almost certainly destined for a low-level rating—after this assessment ended, she had, after all, silently guarded them for thousands of years. To say she felt nothing would be a lie.

She could not help but recall her grandmother's parting words.

If you fail to secure the backing of a deity, do not return. Stay within human territory, strive to break through to the Star Domain level, and carry on the family legacy.

A sense of shared fate flickered in Irelia's heart. She gazed at the planet she had protected for five millennia and sighed inwardly.

"I hope... we can both grasp that single ray of light in this desperate darkness."

Meanwhile, on Blue Star, in the Xia Kingdom, Helu City.

Lin Yi was fully focused, as if immersed in his own "performance." His gaze occasionally swept over the wall clock: 12:09:01, 12:09:02, 12:09:06.

Hum—!!!

An intangible yet vast and indescribably terrifying will, like the roar of the universe at its inception, swept across the entire Blue Star in an instant.

There was no sound, yet it felt as if billions of stars were detonating simultaneously deep within the soul!

There was no light or shadow, yet the entire banquet hall was plunged into a suffocating "grayscale" in a heartbeat!

At this moment, even time itself seemed to be completely frozen.

All the guests at the banquet—those raising glasses, picking up food, chatting, or walking—had their movements instantly solidified.

The postures of children chasing and playing were locked in place, the figures of waiters carrying trays stood still, and even the trajectory of the rotating chandeliers fell into a standstill.

The entire Blue Star, in this instant, fell into a stillness that made the soul tremble.

Only Lin Yi's thoughts continued to function.

His Star-Vortex-level soul origin surged violently in a stress response, but he locked it down tightly with his willpower, ensuring his body remained "stiff" in place just like everyone else.

A tenth of a second later, the pressure dissipated, and the world seemed to reboot.

Color returned, and sound flooded back in.

"Uh... what... what just happened?"

"I... I think my eyes played tricks on me?"

"My head is spinning..."

After a brief, deathly silence, a greater sense of bewilderment and uneasy commotion broke out. The guests looked at one another, filled with suspicion and uncertainty, while children, frightened by the eerie sensation, hid in their parents' arms.

His uncle, Zhou Jianjun, stood up abruptly, his brows locked in a frown and his eyes sharp as a hawk's, instantly scanning out the window.

The intuition of a retired soldier allowed him to sniff out an aura of extreme danger.

As for Lin Yi, he deliberately delayed for a few seconds before turning his head, locking his gaze through the street-facing window toward the direction of the newsstand diagonally across the street.