The Moment I've Dreamed Of Has Finally Arrived!

However, to his disappointment, though these fruits were incredibly enticing, their actual effects fell far short of expectations.

After consuming five in succession, his battle power had increased by less than a hundred thousand, leaving him rather frustrated.

Only later did he understand—it was not that the fruits were too weak, but that he himself was too strong.

His level of life had already risen to the point where ordinary energy fruits could barely affect him.

The reason those ten fruits had provided such minor gains was because he cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prison Suppression Sutra. His primordial energy was drawn directly from the vast universe, then repeatedly refined by stellar cores and condensed layer upon layer within his acupoints.

Though he appeared calm on the surface, the quality of the "qi" within his body had long undergone a fundamental transformation.

Afterward, Barros summoned Kamosi, whose battle power at the time was only 170,000.

One Neural Tree Fruit increased Kamosi's battle power by fifty thousand. The shock made his knees go weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot, desperately begging for another.

Next, aside from giving five to Bardock, who had just returned victorious from a year-long campaign in the East Galaxy, and one to every other Saiyan who had gone on expedition, he specifically set aside ten each for Xuesaiya, Xuesaili, and Palanti.

As for himself, he returned to the imperial hall and consumed every remaining Neural Tree Fruit.

After using up a full hundred and thirty fruits, Barros's battle power had risen by only seven hundred thousand, barely reaching the threshold of five million.

Seeing the fruits' effects diminish drastically, he decisively abandoned any thought of continuing—eating more would only waste resources.

He stored the remaining forty or fifty fruits in a Universal Capsule, saving them for emergencies or future rewards for his trusted subordinates.

North Galaxy, Earth.

In the vast universe, this planet was as insignificant as a speck of dust. The powerful would find even a glance at it a waste of effort.

Yet it was precisely this planet that had drawn the Divine Martial Emperor Barros here three times within five years.

The first time, he had come to make a wish upon the Dragon Balls and learn Instant Transmission;

the second time, still for the Dragon Balls, he had obtained the entire Neural Tree;

and this time, he had descended once more—his target was still the Dragon Balls.

The effects of the Neural Tree Fruit were far below expectations. Barros would never exhaust the strength of an entire galaxy just to cultivate it, nor could he rely on it to mass-produce Super Saiyans on the Divine Martial Battle Star.

The four galaxies appeared to have few experts on the surface, but he knew well that many supreme powerhouses lurked in the shadows—at least some were capable of directly contending with a Super Saiyan, perhaps even approaching the second stage of Super Saiyan.

As for whether any beings could rival the third stage of Super Saiyan, he dared not say, nor had any way to verify it.

But if these useless fruits brought the combined siege of all four galaxies upon him—

that would not merely be a losing deal. It would be walking straight into death.

No matter how strong Barros was, he could not withstand the wrath of an entire galaxy at this point. Besides, behind every galaxy stood a King Kai.

The four King Kais appeared low-key and mediocre, but who would truly believe that there were no experts at their side?

In the underworld, they commanded forests of powerful warriors and clouds of fierce generals. There were quite a few ruthless figures capable of smashing through a Super Saiyan's defenses.

That no one in the universe obeyed them? Barros would rather bite off his tongue and die than believe it.

The galaxy-level general from the East Galaxy, with a battle power of ten million, was proof enough.

In the end, the universe was not peaceful. It was simply that most experts hid deeply and acted rarely.

The more deeply he considered it, the more Barros felt that this world was far too vast to be defined by a single North Galaxy;

likewise, the cosmic overlords standing at the summit could not possibly be represented by Frieza's clan or by the Earth that would later produce Super Saiyans one after another.

With a thought, he used Instant Transmission to arrive on a life-bearing planet extremely close to Earth.

He brought two fingers together and lightly touched them to his brow.

Without even raising his eyelids, his figure rippled like water and abruptly vanished into the void.

Earth, Lookout.

The moment Barros landed, his brows drew tightly together—

thick clouds were rapidly swallowing the sky, plunging the land back into darkness. At the same time, a golden dragon surged into the heavens, locking tightly with streaks of golden lightning crashing down from the clouds, merging into a single line.

There was no need to think. Barros recognized it at once: the seven Dragon Balls had gathered, and Shenron was being summoned!

"Hmph!"

The cold snort rang out like a blade leaving its sheath. The Guardian and Popo, who had been about to speak, were blasted dozens of meters away and slammed hard against the Lookout's stone walls before barely managing to stop.

Before the sound had faded, Barros had already transformed into a streak of blazing white aura, tearing through the air as he shot toward the Dragon Balls.

Shenron had only just appeared. At his speed, he would certainly reach the scene before it fully manifested.

"Are you the one who summoned me? State your wish—no matter what you desire, I can grant it. But only once."

The familiar dragon tongue rang out. Barros's expression turned icy before he had even arrived, and his speed instantly surged to its limit.

A streak of light tore through the sky—the cosmic emperor had arrived!

Beneath Shenron, Pilaf raised both arms high, so excited that he could barely form a complete sentence—the moment he had dreamed of had finally come!

Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, and the others trapped inside the castle were all frantic with anxiety.

The Dragon Balls they had painstakingly gathered had been snatched away in the blink of an eye;

while they themselves were locked in cages, forced to watch their hard-won prize be taken from them. Their hearts bled, and they wanted nothing more than to tear Pilaf and his gang apart on the spot!

Shenron seemed to be growing impatient and urged them again. "What? Hurry up and say it!"

Outside the castle, Oolong had just caught sight of Shenron's eyes turning red. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sprinted toward the Dragon Balls.

Just then, a silver-blue rift was forcibly torn open across the pitch-black sky—

A pale blue energy wave shot out the instant Shenron finished speaking, striking precisely where Pilaf stood.

There was no scream, no struggle. Pilaf only had time to widen his eyes before the blast wave swallowed him whole.

BOOM!!

Though it was merely a casual strike, it blasted a crater more than a hundred meters wide outside the castle.

The shockwave swept outward, carrying rubble and dust with it. Several figures were tossed into the air like scraps of paper.

Barros could not have cared less whether they lived or died. He did not even spare them a glance.

The castle itself was heavily damaged by the aftershock, instantly covered in web-like cracks as it shook violently.

Bulma huddled in a corner, trembling all over like a frightened rabbit as she shrieked, "Ah—ah—ah—! What happened? Was that a missile explosion?"

Yamcha forced himself to stay upright, gritting his teeth as he growled, "Damn it... Could it really be a missile attack?!"

"No!" Goku's face turned grave as he shook his head decisively. "This... was probably damage caused by an energy wave of the same kind as old Master Roshi's!"

The anger and fear in Yamcha and Bulma's hearts froze at once. They turned to stare at Goku in unison. "What? You mean—this wasn't a missile attack, but an energy wave fired by an expert on Master Roshi's level?"

The scene at Fire Mountain back then—the grandmaster's bearing Master Roshi had displayed, and the imposing might of Martial Arts Master Roshi, the strongest man in the world—remained etched in Bulma and Yamcha's minds to this day: one energy wave had split open the mountain, and the entire Fire Mountain had collapsed in response, sending shattered rocks flying skyward as waves of heat rolled forth.

Even Barros had not expected the Divine Martial Battle Art to transform Master Roshi so thoroughly.

The Master Roshi in his memories had still possessed a hint of desperate, ravenous impatience, and could only barely be considered a grandmaster of his generation;

but the current Master Roshi, who had devoted himself to cultivating the Divine Martial Battle Art and honing his martial path, had long become a genuine martial arts grandmaster—his gaze burned like torches, his aura was as deep as an abyss, and every gesture radiated the unquestionable foundation of a true powerhouse.

Back then, it had been Goku himself who led Master Roshi up Fire Mountain. How could he not know what had happened?

Goku's expression was solemn as he slowly nodded. He brought his palms together before his chest, green energy surging between them. "Ka—me—ha—me—ha!"

"It has been a long time, Shenron." Before the words had even faded, Barros was already hovering directly in front of Shenron with his arms folded.

The moment Shenron saw him, a layer of cold sweat formed on his brow. He hurriedly bowed. "Ah! It is an honor to meet Your Majesty!"

Barros could not be bothered with pleasantries. He directly took out a Neural Tree Fruit seed.

He raised his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it pierced Shenron coldly. "Although the Neural Tree bears at least hundreds of fruits every time, that is meaningless to me. I want you to alter it so that—it bears only nine fruits, but every one of them is incomparably powerful!"

"Ah... th-this...!" Shenron's heart sank as he cursed his bad luck inwardly. The first time they met, this scourge had toyed with him like a monkey; the second time had been somewhat more reasonable, but he had been forced to perform a teleportation lock and nearly drained all his dragon power; five years ago, the moon had been blasted into dust, and it was only after the Kami gathered the Dragon Balls that Shenron had been forcibly dragged back to continue living...

The more he thought about it, the more stifled he felt. Shenron could only feel that he had been born to toil, cursed to suffer while getting nothing in return.

And now—another impossible problem had landed in his lap!

He had only just let out a bitter laugh when Barros's expression darkened further.

Shenron's heart tightened, and he hurriedly cut in, "Your Majesty, the Neural Tree is a divine tree by nature. This humble dragon was merely created by the Kami, so I truly do not possess the ability to alter the nature of its fruits..."

Before he could finish, Barros's brows pressed down and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes. Shenron felt a chill run down his spine and immediately changed his words. "However! This humble dragon does know a method to greatly increase the fruits' power!"

To save his own life, he could only reveal this final trump card.

As for...

how many starfields this scourge would plague in the future, or how many living beings would suffer because of him?

That was truly none of Shenron's concern.

Barros's expression eased slightly as he raised a brow. "Oh? What method?"

Shenron choked up, then hurriedly added, "Um... may I ask, Your Majesty, is this the wish you intend to make?"

"Count it as—" Barros had only spoken one word when a clear female voice suddenly rang out behind him—

"Wait!"

Barros frowned and glanced sideways at the girl rushing toward the enormous crater, then fixed his gaze on Shenron again. "Fine. I'll use this wish in exchange for your method of increasing the fruits' power!"

Bulma collapsed beside the edge of the hundred-meter crater Barros had created. Hearing those words, her body went limp and she fell to the ground.

Her dream of becoming a princess had been completely shattered.

Unfortunately, neither Barros nor Shenron spared her so much as a glance.

A sharp light flashed through Shenron's crimson eyes, and his voice abruptly rose. "Your Majesty, the strength of Neural Tree Fruits depends on whether the planet they grow on possesses abundant life energy and natural spiritual energy—so long as you find a life-bearing planet more prosperous than the one where you originally obtained the fruit, the fruit's power will naturally soar!"

"The abundance of life energy and spiritual energy is the key?" Barros furrowed his brow slightly. This was the first time he had heard of such a connection.

After a brief pause, he pressed on. "If I want the fruit in my hand to nurture a galaxy-level powerhouse with a combat power exceeding one million, what kind of life-bearing planet would it need to be planted on?"

"Your Majesty, the universe is vast and the sea of stars boundless. Classified by energy level, ordinary planets fall into four categories: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and powerhouse-grade, collectively known as 'planet-level'; above those are 'planetary-level' worlds, which far surpass ordinary planets—your Divine Martial Battle Star is among the finest of them."