A Life Lost

Lanka Star was an exceptionally beautiful Life Planet.

More than sixty percent of its surface was covered by azure seas, while over half of the remaining land was blanketed in lush vegetation.

The true human settlements occupied only a small portion of the planet, and even its cities were filled with greenery everywhere one looked.

As a result, Lanka Star's air was remarkably fresh, making it highly suitable for human habitation.

The largest city on Lanka Star was Jialong City.

Qi Yuan followed Hugo and the others through Jialong City's streets, his gaze wandering curiously in every direction.

Compared to Lei Bao Star, a desolate planet filled with Lightning Storms everywhere, everything here seemed breathtakingly beautiful.

Towering, magnificent buildings vanished into the clouds, enormous plants of strange shapes clung to their surfaces, and all manner of shops and entertainment facilities could be found here.

The streets were packed with people, while countless others flew through the skies more than a hundred meters overhead.

Since arriving in this world, this was Qi Yuan's first time entering such a bustling Life Planet. For a moment, he could barely take it all in.

"How is it? Lanka Star is lively enough, isn't it?"

Seeing his wide-eyed, curious expression, Old Wu asked with a smile through telepathy.

"It really is lively. This is the first time I've seen such a prosperous place!" Qi Yuan nodded, then asked telepathically as well, "By the way, Lord Wu, why did we come to Lanka Star this time? Are we accompanying Master home to visit relatives?"

"Not just to visit relatives."

Old Wu replied mysteriously, "Master's main reason for returning this time is to attend the ancestor's Lord of Domain Banquet!"

"Huh? What... what's a Lord of Domain Banquet?" Qi Yuan could not process it for a moment.

"I forgot you just came from a Native Planet."

Only then did Old Wu explain, "The ancestor of Master's family, Lord Jialong, the founder of the Ortega Family, successfully broke through to the World Lord level not long ago."

"This banquet is being held to celebrate his breakthrough. Many major powers across the Eternal Starfield will send representatives, and I heard even the Eternal Empire's royal family has sent someone this time!"

Listening to Old Wu's explanation only left Qi Yuan more confused.

Just breaking through to the World Lord level warrants such a huge spectacle? If someone became an Immortal, wouldn't they have to ascend to heaven?

But he quickly came to his senses.

Ever since transmigrating here, he had grown accustomed to viewing this world through the descriptions in the novel. He had been too influenced by preconceived notions.

After the novel's protagonist, Luo Feng, entered the Virtual Universe Company, his realm had risen at an absurd pace, as though he had cheats enabled.

Just a few hundred years later, killing ordinary Realm Lords was as easy for him as chopping vegetables.

As a result, the World Lord-level experts who had once seemed immensely impressive rapidly lost their prestige later on, practically becoming synonymous with cannon fodder.

But in reality, on average, only one World Lord-level expert might emerge among a thousand star systems.

Even the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, a mid-level civilization, would treat a Realm Lord with the utmost courtesy.

As for the countless ordinary Cultivators of mid-level and low-level civilizations, World Lord-level experts were legendary beings. Even meeting one was as difficult as ascending to heaven!

I almost forgot. This isn't a novel, but a real world. If I keep viewing this world from Lord Luo's perspective, I'll probably be dead in no time!

Qi Yuan hurriedly reminded himself, Don't get cocky. I don't have Luo Feng's luck. I have to be careful, careful, and even more careful.

The Lord of Domain Banquet was set to take place one month later.

During that time, Hugo, having returned to Lanka Star, did not remain idle.

After paying his respects to the family elders, he began attending one banquet after another.

As one of Hugo's highly regarded trusted men, Qi Yuan accompanied him most of the time.

Thanks to this opportunity, Qi Yuan learned quite a bit of information that interested him.

One day, Hugo accepted an invitation from a cousin in a branch family and came to watch a Gladiator Performance at an Arena run by the man.

A Gladiator Performance was essentially a disguised form of gambling.

After both sides paid a certain amount of betting capital, they each sent out slaves under their command to engage in a public duel.

The winner could not only take the other party's stake, but also receive a winner's reward from the Arena.

The Arena, meanwhile, profited by selling tickets to spectators and opening betting pools.

This Arena owned by Hugo's cousin was located above a stretch of sea outside Jialong City.

A Floating Fortress over a kilometer long served as the audience seating, while the vast sea below served as the Arena's stage.

At that moment, two figures were locked in a fierce battle over the sea.

One was a Fifth Stage Star Traveller warrior dressed in a dark-gray combat robe and boots, wielding a saber in one hand and a round shield in the other.

His opponent was a Fourth Stage Star Traveller Psychic Master clad in gray combat gear, carrying a curved blade and standing atop a strange crescent-shaped flying disc.

The Psychic Master controlled his Psionic Weapon to evade while thin, diamond-shaped blades, as delicate as cicada wings, continuously flew out from the curved disc beneath his feet and attacked the Fifth Stage Star Traveller warrior.

The warrior, meanwhile, used his shield and saber to block again and again, constantly searching for an opportunity to close the distance. For the moment, the two were evenly matched.

Inside a luxurious private room with an excellent view in the Arena, Hugo and his cousin watched the performance below while chatting idly.

Qi Yuan and Old Wu, as the guards accompanying them this time, stood obediently behind Hugo.

"Haha, Nineteenth Prince, guess which of them will win."

Hugo's cousin, the owner of the Arena, smiled as he spoke to Hugo.

Hugo glanced down indifferently. "Probably the Psychic Master. Although he's one stage lower, Psychic Masters have quite an advantage in battle. Crossing one or two stages shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh? I think the warrior has a better chance. How about it? Shall we have a little wager?" his cousin warmly invited.

"Forget it. I'm not interested in this." Hugo sounded uninterested.

"That's true. You're a big shot now. You wouldn't care about such a small amount. Heh, watch the match, watch the match."

While the two chatted, the situation in the battle below suddenly changed.

The Fourth Stage Star Traveller Psychic Master, who had been suppressing his opponent all along, seemed to have grown careless and allowed the distance between them to narrow slightly.

That fleeting opening was instantly seized by the Fifth Stage Star Traveller warrior!

He first threw his shield to disrupt his opponent's escape route, then his speed suddenly surged severalfold. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the Psychic Master.

Squelch!

The icy saber pierced straight through the Psychic Master's chest, and a strand of genetic energy slipped into his body, faintly targeting the crystal core within his Sea of Consciousness.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

The Psychic Master hurriedly cried out.

Yet in the very next second, his expression suddenly twisted into something extraordinarily savage!

Then, with a muffled boom, his entire head exploded!

Only a headless corpse remained, silently falling into the sea below.

The Fifth Stage Star Traveller warrior holding the saber stood there in a daze, muttering in disbelief, "I didn't kill him... why?"

"You made me lose the match and still want to live? Hmph, trash. You're useless anyway!"

Inside one of the Floating Fortress's private rooms, a black-clad young man cursed viciously before walking out with an ugly expression.

Yes, the Psychic Master had not died beneath his opponent's blade. His own master had directly detonated his Biological Chip and destroyed his head.

A living life was still less important than the so-called pride of those "important people."

Behind Hugo, Qi Yuan watched the scene, his Pupils narrowing slightly as an indescribable chill instantly crawled across his entire body.

The comfortable life of the past half year had nearly made him forget that he was a slave!

If he continued living leisurely like this, there was no guarantee he would not end up just like that Psychic Master.

Although Hugo seemed to treat his subordinates rather well, Qi Yuan did not dare truly entrust his safety entirely to another person's mercy!

No, I can't delay any longer. I have to find an opportunity to get away as soon as possible!