Gathering the Dragon Balls with Great Difficulty, Only to Have the Fruit Plucked by Another

Hearing that the Divine Martial Battle Star was classified as a planetary-level world, Barros felt slightly surprised, but he understood the reasoning the moment the thought crossed his mind:

The native powerhouses that had emerged from that planet in the past were likely a result of its abundant life energy and rich celestial essence.

He stared directly into the blood-red pupils of the Shenron, the corners of his lips curling into a cold, faint smile—

It seemed there were even higher tiers of planets.

As expected, the moment the thought arose, the Shenron continued: "Above planetary-level are the 'stellar-level' life planets, but such worlds are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns throughout the entire universe!"

Barros had ruled the Divine Martial Battle Star for many years and had only ever discovered a handful of planets comparable to it;

That stellar-level planets were even rarer was no surprise.

Suddenly, he furrowed his brow and asked: "Planet Namek should be a stellar-level planet, right?"

The Shenron was visibly startled, clearly not expecting Barros to name it so readily, and hurriedly replied: "Ah! Indeed! But that was the Planet Namek of the ancient era. It has since fallen to planetary-level, and is now not even as good as the Divine Martial Battle Star where Your Majesty resides!"

"Is that so?" A sharp light flashed in the depths of Barros's eyes. He stared at the Shenron's forehead, which was covered in cold sweat, and said calmly: "Continue—above stellar-level, are there even higher grades of planets?"

The Shenron paused, then quickly answered: "Above stellar-level are the 'forbidden-level' life planets, which can be counted on one's fingers in the universe!"

"Wait!" Barros pressed his brows together and interrupted coldly: "What is a forbidden-level life planet?"

"Um..." The Shenron remained silent for a long time before its eyes suddenly erupted with two beams of crimson light, and it spoke slowly: "Forbidden planets have an even more ancient name—God Stars!"

"God Stars?" Barros frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, his tone became hesitant: "The God Stars you refer to—are they the planets where the four Kais and the Grand Kai reside, or..."

His gaze turned sharp, piercing the Shenron's eyes like a blade: "Or perhaps... the home planets of the four Supreme Kais, the Grand Supreme Kai planet, or even the entire Sacred World of the Kai?"

In an instant, cold sweat drenched the Shenron's forehead, soaking its back.

Few in the universe knew of the four Kais, and even fewer were aware of the existence of the Grand Kai.

As for the Supreme Kais—if it hadn't been born as the unique wish-granting dragon of this universe, it likely would never have even heard of them: that above the Grand Kai, there stood even higher, supreme existences!

And the Grand Supreme Kai...

It only knew the barest surface of such beings, as vague as viewing flowers through a mist.

Who would have thought that this Saiyan emperor before it would be so well-versed in these secrets!

One had to know that the four Supreme Kais had all perished in that great catastrophe thousands of years ago, with only one left clinging to life; the Grand Supreme Kai had also completely vanished in the same disaster.

Had it not been for Barros's wish today, the Shenron might not have even been able to piece together such a complete truth—

This single question was enough to shatter the foundation of knowledge held by countless powerhouses!

The Shenron remained stunned for a long time before wiping the scalding sweat from its forehead, its voice tight: "Your Majesty is correct. Forbidden planets, or God Stars, are indeed where the four Kai planets and the Grand Kai's Planet are located. As for the Supreme Kai planets... that is far beyond the realm of what this small dragon can peer into."

That was the birthplace of the Supreme Kais; with the power of the Shenron created by the current Kami of Earth, it was impossible to touch even a fraction of it!

Let alone the Grand Supreme Kai planet, and there was no need to even mention the Sacred World of the Kai, which stood above all else!

Barros shook his head slightly and said nothing more. The current Shenron of Earth and the one reborn after death were as different as clouds and mud; the Shenron later reshaped by the hands of the Namekian Dende was even less comparable.

After a brief pause, he said calmly: "Enough. Whether they are forbidden planets or God Stars, I have no interest for now. Just tell me—how does one distinguish whether a planet is an ordinary planet, a star, or a life planet?"

"Ah! Yes!" the Shenron replied hurriedly. "The grade of a planet depends on the size of its territory and the strength of the powerhouses who guard it. The higher the level, the more formidable the experts.

An ordinary stellar-level life planet must have a Galaxy-level powerhouse with a battle power exceeding ten million guarding it; a planetary-level planet will have at least a Galaxy-level expert with a battle power of one million entrenched there. With very few exceptions, every planet in the universe that is even remotely near the center follows this rule!"

"I see." Barros nodded. No wonder the planetary-level Divine Martial Battle Star, while a notch stronger than the Planet Vegeta of the past, could only barely reach the threshold of a 'planet'.

And Planet Namek—if it hadn't undergone that great upheaval, there would likely have been more than one or two Super Namekians by now, right?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the Shenron quietly raised its head, twisted its body, and soared into the sky: "Your wish has been granted, we part ways here!"

The seven Dragon Balls whistled into the sky, circled the Shenron's trajectory several times, and suddenly transformed into seven golden beams, shooting off in all directions.

The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the sunlight spilled down once more.

Barros was still standing with his hands behind his back, lost in thought, when a roar that shook the heavens, mixed with a blood-curdling scream, suddenly pulled him back to reality.

He turned to look and saw Goku, triggered by the full moon that had reappeared in the night sky, going berserk once again and transforming into a giant ape!

Barros sighed helplessly, but he did not move to erase the moon that had reappeared after the Kami's wish.

Since there was nothing else to do for the moment, playing with this giant ape wouldn't be a bad way to pass the time.

As the thought flashed through his mind, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upward.

"ROAR—!!" The moment the giant ape took form, Goku let out a heaven-shaking roar, the sound waves causing the loose stones on the ground to dance.

Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar turned and fled, looking utterly wretched.

They had gathered the Dragon Balls with such great difficulty, only to have the fruit plucked by another; and now, they were being chased and hunted by their own brother—no, by a rampaging giant beast!

Bulma wept as she ran for her life.

Who could tell her why Goku had turned into such a world-destroying monster?!

Before the thought could finish, her fragile body was locked onto by the giant ape's gaze.

Two fingers, as thick as palace pillars, hooked nimbly and pinched the collar of her shirt at the nape of her neck.

Bulma, who had been running, suddenly felt her feet leave the ground and looked back in horror—

"AH—AH—!!"

Seeing herself being dangled in front of the giant ape's foul-smelling, blood-red maw, she was terrified out of her wits, her scream tearing through the night sky.

"Bulma—!!" Yamcha and the others turned pale with shock.

At this moment, Barros, having finished watching the chase, flashed and appeared instantly between the giant ape's fingers, snatching Bulma away.

He was so fast that the giant ape didn't even have time to blink—

The space between its fingers was empty, and the person was gone.

The next instant, it focused its eyes: the two tiny figures were standing steadily on the tip of its nose!

The giant ape had intended to swallow the familiar little bug in one bite, but the prey had vanished into thin air; then, in a blink, the person was back, and a man had appeared with her—what was even more infuriating was that the man was standing brazenly on its nose, as steady as a rock!

"ROAR!!!" It was furious, swinging its palm down in a violent strike, swearing to crush these "ants."

Barros chuckled, his body swaying slightly, and the giant palm brushed past him, stirring up only a fierce gust of wind.

The giant ape retracted its palm in astonishment, but when it looked up again, the two were still on its nose, Barros holding Bulma with the composure of someone taking a leisurely stroll.

"ROAR!!!" It was completely enraged, both palms coming together like giant pincers, intending to crush the two of them in one go.

But its speed was nothing more than slow motion in Barros's eyes.

After missing yet again, when Barros landed steadily on its nose for the third time—

The giant ape seemed to have gained a spark of intelligence; it suddenly raised its right palm and smashed it down hard against its own nose bridge!

"AWOOO—!!!"

With one blow, it collapsed its own nose bridge. Even a Saiyan giant ape could not withstand such piercing pain, and it let out a shrill, mountain-shaking roar on the spot.

Having had his fill of fun, Barros flickered and appeared in the night sky several hundred meters directly in front of the giant ape.

Only then did Bulma stagger back to her senses from the gates of hell.

"Ah... th-thank you... you're... so handsome!!"

Just as she wanted to express her gratitude, she looked up and met Barros's gaze—his eyes were as calm and deep as a sea of stars, his brows like swords, his features as sharp and handsome as if carved by a knife. His entire being exuded an unapproachable, awe-inspiring aura. Her heart skipped a beat, her cheeks burned, and her eyes remained glued to his face, unable to look away.

The trope of a hero saving a damsel in distress might be old, but it was the most effective way to breach a young girl's defenses.

Moreover, Barros practiced the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art, and his proportions were near the human ideal: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, well-defined muscles, standing like a pine and moving like the wind.

That heroic, striking face carried an inherent pressure even when he wasn't smiling; it was cold and stern, yet wrapped in a layer of distant arrogance.

Added to the debt of saving her life—

Bulma, who already had a fixation on "prince-type" boys, could hardly withstand such an impact. Her heart fell on the spot, and even the faint, budding feelings she had for Yamcha were crushed into dust before they could even sprout!

Barros glanced down at Bulma in his arms, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

That smile caused Bulma's brain to "buzz" and completely short-circuit.

At that moment, the giant ape struggled through the pain and scrambled to its feet. Seeing the two floating a hundred meters away, it was incensed, opened its blood-red maw, and unleashed a thunderous roar at them!

The roar startled Bulma and caused Barros to furrow his brow, a trace of impatience flashing across his face.

The full moon hung high in the night, and though there were no swaying flower shadows, there was a beauty in his arms—

It was the perfect time for intimacy, yet it had been ruined by this outburst.

Barros didn't notice it himself, but as he frowned, a heaven-shaking aura of imperial wrath suddenly radiated from his body.

The giant ape's roar was cut off abruptly, stuck in its throat;

And Bulma, in his arms, saw his eyes light up with a startling brilliance, ripples spreading through her heart as her affection surged even more intensely.

Shifting his gaze slightly, Barros looked at the giant ape, his expression still calm, save for a flash of cold light in his eyes.

But the giant ape was completely unaware of that coldness, only roaring at the sky before opening its mouth to fire a scorching white energy wave, tearing through the air straight at Barros's face!

Bulma, who was still drowning in the warmth of his embrace, twitched her ears and instinctively turned her head to look—

With that one glance, she gasped, a scream tearing through the sky: "AH—!!!"

Barros glanced down at her and shook his head helplessly: the energy wave couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes, yet her scream made his eardrums tremble.

He raised his hand and grabbed, his five fingers firmly clenching the mass of violent energy. He didn't even spare it a glance, simply closing his palm—with a muffled "pop," the energy wave exploded into a blinding burst of white light on the spot!

"Gulp..."

Beside the ruins on the ground, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar swallowed in unison, their hearts pounding: "Too powerful!!"

They had seen with their own eyes just how strong this giant ape was—

That previous energy wave had sent the entire Pilaf Castle flying into the sky!

Yet in the hands of that young man, an attack comparable to a missile had been crushed like a ball of cotton, silent and soundless, without even a ripple.