The Cosmic Chessboard

"What was that?" Hit's voice remained calm, but the faint tremor in it had already betrayed his shock.

"Senzu Bean." Chen Feng explained it in a single sentence.

He stood atop a towering rock, the night wind tousling the hair over his forehead.

His gaze seemed capable of piercing through the distant river of stars.

"A miraculous bean. As long as you still have a breath left, it can instantly heal all injuries and restore your strength." He spoke casually, as though introducing a knife. After a pause, he turned his face slightly, the corner of his lips lifting into an almost imperceptible curve. "You'll be using it often in the future, especially when you're with me."

Hit nodded and etched the words "Senzu Bean" into his memory.

This was no ordinary healing medicine. In a life-or-death battle, it was equivalent to having two or three extra lives.

Chen Feng did not look at him again. He merely turned and looked toward Planet Sadala.

His back looked lonely beneath the stars, and his eyes became unfathomably deep—as if he were looking at the chessboard of the entire universe, not merely that one planet.

"Universe Six..." he began. His voice was not loud, yet it drifted clearly through the silence of the asteroid belt. "It has gone without change for too long. Like a stagnant pool—comfortable, yet already beginning to rot."

He casually pointed toward different corners of the starry sky. "God of Destruction Champa only knows how to eat all day. He has no concern whatsoever for the balance or development of the universe. His angel, Vados, is merely an elegant spectator who never takes the initiative to interfere."

He spoke lightly, with almost no emotion in his voice, yet there was a cold disappointment beneath it.

"Universe Seven is different." He pointed in another direction, and his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Son Goku, Vegeta... those Saiyans, along with their companions, are like indestructible cockroaches. They erupt in desperate situations every time, always breaking through the so-called limits of gods. Their fighting spirit burns so fiercely that it makes the entire universe tremble."

Hit listened in silence.

As an assassin, he was best at catching what lay hidden in people's hearts.

He could hear that there was no envy or fear in Chen Feng's words—only a desire that had been ignited, the hunger one felt only upon seeing a broader battlefield.

"You want to wage war against Universe Seven?" Hit stated it outright. It was not a question, but confirmation.

"Sooner or later." Chen Feng withdrew his hand, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. "The state of the universe needs to shift. The value of the strong only has meaning in fiercer collisions. But—" His tone changed as he looked again at the scattered forces of Universe Six below. "Before that, I have to unify this place first. A disorganized rabble can't withstand any storm."

He spoke each name with familiarity. "The Saiyans of Planet Sadala, with their limitless talent for battle; Frost's vast interstellar power and technology; the Namekians scattered across various worlds with their strange abilities; and you, Hit—the universe's number one assassin, master of time."

He raised his chin slightly. "Only when your powers are gathered together can Universe Six be twisted into a single rope, so that it can truly... be controlled by me."

Hit's heart suddenly tightened, and his pupils contracted.

Only at this moment did he understand just how great the ambition of the young man before him was.

It was not about defeating a few powerful enemies. Nor was it about ruling one region.

What he wanted was power over all of Universe Six! He wanted to trample every force beneath his feet and become its true master!

"The God of Destruction will not let you do this," Hit warned in a low voice. The universe had its own iron laws—the God of Destruction maintained the balance of "destruction" and would not allow anyone to openly consolidate power and threaten his position.

"Champa?" Chen Feng chuckled. The laugh was quiet, yet it carried a chilling indifference and disdain. "If he knows what's good for him, he can peacefully remain a food-loving God of Destruction. I don't mind letting him keep his title and his Supreme Kai. But if he doesn't..."

He did not finish. He simply shook his head faintly, as if brushing away a speck of dust.

Hit already understood what he meant.

This man did not even regard the God of Destruction as worthy of his attention.

It was not arrogance. It was because he possessed some powerful source of confidence that Hit had yet to understand.

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Then, Chen Feng suddenly moved.

He casually raised his right hand, pressed his index and middle fingers together against his forehead, and closed his eyes as if sensing something.

The next instant, every muscle in Hit's body tensed!

He could clearly feel the surrounding space beginning to twist strangely. The rock beneath his feet and the distant starlight all began to sway like reflections on water.

An invisible yet irresistible force gently enveloped his body.

This was not killing intent. It was a higher power, one related to the laws of space.

"What is this now?" Hit asked once more. His understanding of the world had been overturned again and again today.

Chen Feng lowered his hand. The surrounding space slowly returned to normal, though faint spatial ripples still lingered around him and Hit.

"Instant Transmission." He explained it offhandedly, as if introducing an ordinary tool. "An advanced application of ki. As long as I can sense someone's unique aura, I can cross any distance and instantly arrive at their side. No obstacles. No barriers."

The moment his words fell, the figures of the two men began to blur. In the blink of an eye, they became two streaks of light, shooting from the asteroid's surface into the sky before vanishing into the endless starry expanse.

After they left, that nameless asteroid remained suspended there in silence, like an abandoned scar.

Its rocky layers had long been torn beyond recognition. Crisscrossing ravines plunged unfathomably deep, as if they had been raked by a colossal beast's claws; countless spiderweb-like cracks spread outward from the center of the impact, nearly covering the entire mass of rock.

Charred scorch marks and crystallized craters reflected an eerie glimmer beneath the cold light of distant stars, silently recounting the battle that had just transcended all reason.

Fragments of rock drifted slowly through space, like a sluggish elegy for that duel.

Meanwhile, in another dark expanse of Universe Six, a massive spherical structure floated in defiance of all logic.

Dark golden metallic luster flowed across its surface, and its construction was so intricate that it seemed like a relic left behind by gods.

Its interior was extravagantly luxurious.

Its towering dome was studded with glowing, strange gemstones. The walls were made from some unknown material as warm and smooth as jade, while the floor was covered in soft, heavy carpets with patterns so intricate they dazzled the eye.

Most eye-catching of all was the mountain of delicacies—strange fruits from countless planets filled the air with fragrance; the golden, dripping legs of gigantic beasts were piled to one side; translucent dessert towers nearly reached the dome; and countless other foods with unknown names, yet enough to make one's mouth water, packed the entire space to the brim.