Golden Light from Beyond the Heavens, Old Shadows Across the Sky

The pitch-black Nether Soul-Severing Blade hovered in mid-air, its frigid, death-dealing edge a mere hair's breadth from Lin Chen's heart.

The oncoming icy killing intent was enough to freeze flesh and blood, yet Gilos, who had launched this finishing blow, could no longer bring it down. His muscles were taut, his slit pupils fixed firmly upon the vast firmament above. All his previous arrogance had vanished, leaving only an irrepressible terror in the depths of his heart.

The golden pillar of light piercing through the sea of stars was too dazzling. It tore through the atmospheric clouds, carrying with it a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering pressure. The airflow across the entire mountain range was forcibly churned into a frenzy, with gale-force winds whipping up gravel and broken timber. The once-stagnant, oppressive atmosphere of the battlefield was completely shredded by this sudden, otherworldly phenomenon.

On the ground, Son Goku instinctively ceased his struggle, his young face filled with bewilderment and surprise as he looked up at the sky. The Frieza elite soldier who had been entangling him was equally distraught; his rigid offensive showed obvious openings, and he could no longer maintain his previous encirclement.

In the dense forest, Bulma's hand trembled as she held the scouter. The red combat power data that had been jumping wildly on the screen suddenly turned chaotic. Dense strings of code lost all regularity, and every detection value overflowed its limit, rendering the device unable to determine the newcomer's power level.

"What on earth is that..." Bulma whispered, her heart filled with shock and suspicion.

She had seen alien warships, witnessed the terrifying power of the Saiyans, and seen with her own eyes the formidable strength Lin Chen displayed after breaking through his desperate straits. Yet, this aura arriving from across the universe transcended everything in her understanding—grand, ancient, and carrying a cold indifference that looked down upon the heavens, as if all things in the world were insignificant before this figure.

Lin Chen struggled to steady his crumbling body. Blood continued to seep from his wounds, and his overdrawn physique sent waves of tearing, acidic pain through him. He suppressed the restless, chaotic bloodline energy within him and also looked up toward the direction of the golden light, his brow furrowed.

The system's recent notification still echoed in his mind: a combat power that could not be measured, and a pure, intensely concentrated Super Saiyan aura.

In this universe, there were very few beings who possessed such strength and bloodline depth. The Frieza clan was naturally wary of the Saiyans' peak form; even Gilos, a captain of the Imperial Guard, had lost his composure, which was proof enough that the newcomer's identity was far from simple.

Gilos's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. The pitch-black Nether energy gathered around him began to dissipate involuntarily, and his hand gripping the blade tightened and loosened. He had been ordered to purge the Saiyan remnants on Earth, confident in his 9,500 combat power and his absolute advantage over an opponent with barely over 5,000. But the aura descending from the heavens now filled him with an instinctive dread from the depths of his soul.

After Planet Vegeta was destroyed, the surviving high-level Saiyans had long since scattered, most hiding in the remote corners of the universe to survive. Logically, no one should have noticed this remote, low-level blue planet. Why, at the very moment he was about to execute his target, had such a terrifying powerhouse suddenly appeared?

"Which expert is hiding in the shadows? Why not show yourself?"

Gilos forcibly reined in his inner panic and shouted toward the firmament. His voice no longer held its previous arrogance, replaced entirely by caution. He dared not launch an attack rashly, fearing he might provoke this mysterious top-tier powerhouse and bring about his own destruction.

The golden pillar of light moved with incredible speed, breaking through the thick clouds in an instant. Dazzling golden light enveloped the sky above the mountain range. As the blinding radiance slowly receded, a tall, slender figure stood steadily amidst the clouds, wrapped in golden flames that surged like a tsunami, with tiny sparks of electricity crackling around his body.

His sharp, flamboyant golden hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes had turned a deep, cold emerald. Every inch of his aura exuded the sharp, honed edge of one who had survived countless interstellar slaughters—a perfect, flawless Super Saiyan form.

Simply by hovering silently in the air, he caused all the Frieza soldiers below to stiffen, their very breathing becoming cautious.

Lin Chen locked his gaze onto the newcomer, his heart surging with waves.

This was the first time since he had transmigrated into the Dragon Ball world that he had seen a full-power Super Saiyan with his own eyes. Compared to his own half-baked Super Saiyan prototype, the other's bloodline refinement and power control were on a completely different level; there was an insurmountable chasm between them.

The golden-haired Saiyan above the clouds swept his indifferent gaze across the battlefield below. His eyes passed over the bloodied Lin Chen, then landed on the unstable Gilos and the armored soldiers, before finally glancing briefly at Bulma hiding in the woods and the young-looking Son Goku.

The golden flames around him surged slightly. He did not act immediately, nor did he speak, merely surveying the chaotic battlefield in silence.

"A Super Saiyan... it really is the peak form." Gilos gritted his teeth, a bone-chilling coldness in his heart.

Emperor Frieza had spent his entire life wary of this power capable of overturning the cosmic order. His standing orders were that any encounter with a fully realized Super Saiyan must be reported immediately, and never provoked. Now, facing a full-power Super Saiyan alone, his purge mission had likely gone completely off the rails.

"Why have you and the Frieza Force intruded upon this remote planet to slaughter at will?"

A cold, steady voice descended from the high altitude. It carried no emotional fluctuation, yet it bore an irresistible pressure that echoed through the mountain range.

Gilos suppressed his anxiety, bowed slightly, and adopted a posture of deference. "I am Gilos, Captain of Emperor Frieza's Imperial Guard. I am under orders to hunt down fleeing Saiyan remnants. This individual has been hiding on Earth and has repeatedly killed our reconnaissance units, so I have come to carry out a purge."

He deliberately shifted all blame onto Lin Chen, attempting to draw a line and avoid direct conflict with the Super Saiyan before him.

The golden-haired Saiyan's gaze returned to Lin Chen, a hint of subtle inquiry flashing in his emerald eyes. "A hybrid mutated bloodline, forced a breakthrough while on the brink of death, and even unlocked a Super Saiyan prototype. A rare talent indeed."

With just a glance, he had seen through Lin Chen's bloodline origin and the foundation of his breakthrough. Such insight was enough to demonstrate his profound depth.

Lin Chen reined in his external aura, keeping his mind tense without answering easily. He did not know this Super Saiyan's stance—whether friend or foe—and speaking rashly would only put him in a passive position. With his heavy injuries and most of his energy spent, he could not maintain his Super Saiyan prototype for long. If a conflict erupted, he had no confidence to handle the fallout.

"To think a mere defective Saiyan survivor would be worth Frieza sending an elite squad across the star sector to hunt." The golden-haired Saiyan's tone was flat, yet his words carried a faint mockery. "Your Emperor fears the Saiyan bloodline day and night, yet in the end, he only knows how to relentlessly hound the weak and young."

These words made no attempt to hide his contempt for Frieza. Gilos's face turned a shade of pale green, yet he dared not utter a word of rebuttal. The disparity in strength was plain to see; any further argument would be meaningless.

The battlefield, which had been locked in struggle, had come to a complete halt. The two remaining Frieza elite soldiers stood back-to-back, their expressions tense and guarded as they stared at the figure in the sky, no longer daring to launch an attack.

Goku looked up curiously, his innocent eyes fixed on the golden figure as he whispered to Lin Chen beside him, "Big brother, this person is amazing. He looks a bit like you when you transform, but his aura is so much stronger."

"That is a full-power Super Saiyan," Lin Chen replied in a low voice. "His strength is far beyond what we can contend with right now."

Bulma also slowly emerged from the dense forest. With her scouter completely useless, she simply put it away, eyeing the powerhouse in the sky with vigilance while silently weighing the pros and cons. If the newcomer stood with the enemy, Earth would face an even more terrifying crisis; but if he were neutral, or even willing to help, the current death trap could be completely reversed.

The situation had become unpredictable due to the arrival of the powerhouse from beyond the heavens. The once one-sided death trap had come to an abrupt end. Both sides were forced to cease their offensive, and the initiative of the battlefield had fallen entirely into the hands of this suddenly appearing Super Saiyan.

Gilos's mind raced. He was wary of the other's formidable strength, yet unwilling to abandon his mission. If he returned empty-handed without killing the target, he would certainly not escape harsh punishment given Frieza's cruel and cold nature. Weighing the pros and cons, Gilos steeled himself and spoke again.

"Senior, this person has repeatedly wounded our personnel and has violated Frieza's majesty. Today, he cannot be let go. I hope you will not interfere in the affairs of the Emperor's subordinates, lest you trigger unnecessary interstellar strife."

He attempted to use Frieza's name to apply pressure, hoping to force this transcendent powerhouse to retreat.

At these words, the golden-haired Saiyan in the sky curled his lips into a faint, cold smile. The golden flames around him suddenly surged, and a massive wave of energy swept downward, the heavy pressure instantly enveloping the entire area.

"Frieza alone is not enough to constrain my actions."

As the cold words fell, an invisible aura pressed down hard on Gilos. His body, with its 9,500 combat power, immediately felt a mountain-like restraint, and his limbs became sluggish and stiff. Gilos was shocked, immediately exerting his full strength to drive his Nether Killing Art to resist the pressure, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

A mere display of aura was enough to make him struggle; the gap in their strength was clear at a glance.

Taking advantage of the standoff, Lin Chen silently mobilized his remaining near-death recovery talent, slowly soothing his damaged meridians and bones. The small wounds on his body stopped bleeding, and his exhausted, withered blood energy recovered slightly. He did not lower his guard, his eyes constantly monitoring the movements of all three parties; no matter which side the newcomer favored, he had to be ready to fight at any moment.

"Since you insist on blocking me, Senior, I can only try my best." Gilos's eyes turned fierce; he had already prepared for battle.

He would not escape punishment if he failed the mission, and there would be no good outcome if he retreated. Rather than waiting for death, he might as well fight to the end. He gathered the pitch-black Nether energy in his hands once more, and the thick scent of death permeated the air again as he prepared to unleash his finishing move.

The two remaining elite soldiers also adjusted their positions, their energy ready to fire as they resumed their encirclement. For a moment, the war that had been temporarily suspended threatened to erupt at any second.

Just as the two sides were at daggers drawn and a great battle was about to break out, the Super Saiyan high above suddenly tilted his head slightly, looking toward the deep reaches of the universe, a flicker of movement in his emerald eyes.

Noticing the newcomer's strange behavior, Lin Chen, Gilos, and the others looked in the same direction in unison.

The once calm and pitch-black edge of the universe now faintly shimmered with silver specks of light. Their numbers grew rapidly, swarming toward Earth's atmosphere at breakneck speed. The cold, murderous aura of the fleet could be felt clearly even from such a vast distance, and its scale was several times larger than the six warships currently present.

"A massive fleet?" Bulma's heart tightened, her expression turning grave in an instant.

Gilos was stunned when he saw the dense clusters of light, but he quickly realized what they were, a flash of delight crossing his eyes. "It's the follow-up reinforcements sent by the Emperor!"

Frieza had sensed the stalemate in the battle and dispatched a massive fleet to Earth to provide support. The situation had reversed in an instant, with their side now holding an absolute advantage in numbers. With a grand army as their backing, they finally had the confidence to contend with even a fully transformed Super Saiyan.

The golden-haired Saiyan gazed at the approaching fleet, his expression remaining indifferent and devoid of panic, though the golden lightning crackling around his body grew increasingly violent.

Lin Chen watched the endless stream of enemy ships arriving in the sky, his brows knitting tightly together. Before one wave of powerful enemies had been fully dealt with, an even larger force had arrived on their heels. The crisis facing Earth was compounding, and the pressure was mounting exponentially.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, the dormant Saiyan blood within him beginning to stir once more as the aura of his nascent Super Saiyan form slowly rose again. The current situation was incredibly complex: the mysterious Super Saiyan's stance was unclear, the main enemy force was bearing down upon them, his own injuries remained unhealed, limiting his combat power, and he still had Goku and Bulma to protect.

No one could predict whether the coming moments would bring a joint effort to resist the enemy or a new round of chaotic, multi-party warfare.

Just as the silhouettes of the fleet became increasingly clear and the atmosphere in the forest grew taut to the breaking point, the Super Saiyan who had descended from the sky suddenly turned his head. His gaze locked directly onto Lin Chen, and he spoke in a low, profound voice.

"Mixed-blood descendant of Planet Vegeta, are you aware that hidden deep within your bloodline lies a sealed past capable of shaking the fate of the entire Saiyan race?"

The moment those words fell, Lin Chen's mind shook violently, and his thoughts went completely blank.

A secret history he had never heard of was suddenly brought to light, and everything he had previously known seemed to begin cracking. The unknown secret hidden within his bloodline had just had its first, mysterious veil lifted.