I've been waiting a long time

Two years passed in a flash.

Most deaths come from thinking you're the protagonist!

That day, Chen Ao silently recited those words.

It was his personal cautionary maxim, one he habitually recited to himself every day.

It reminded him that this world already had a protagonist. He was just someone with cheats. The protagonist wouldn't die, but someone with cheats could.

After reciting it, Chen Ao continued simulating ways to use his Phantom Bodies in his mind.

My progress has been far too slow over the years!

He didn't know how to comprehend space essence, nor was he particularly adept at using his nearly ten thousand Phantom Bodies.

After all, he was merely an old man in his seventies. He couldn't compare with those fellows who had casually lived for who knew how many tens of thousands of years.

As he contemplated, a rumble suddenly sounded overhead.

"They're here!" Chen Ao looked up at the three men descending from above.

"Luo Feng, you've finally come. I've been waiting for you all along!"

Uh!

Luo Feng and the other two, who had been about to approach, all stopped short. Why did he sound so much like a charlatan?

Luo Feng looked at Hong and Lei, seemingly asking whether this really was the expert they had told him about.

Embarrassment appeared on Hong's and Lei's faces. Over the years, Chen Ao had sounded increasingly like a charlatan, always saying things about a Child of Fortune soon being born on Earth.

Huh?

Hong and Lei suddenly turned to look at Luo Feng!

"Big brother, second brother, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Their stares made Luo Feng's scalp prickle.

"More than ten years ago, my elder brother said that a Child of Fortune would soon be born on Earth and lead us beyond it!"

Lei nodded as well. "At the time, I thought he'd lost his mind, talking about heading out into the universe. But looking at it now..."

They hadn't noticed until they thought about it. Now that they did, the implications were terrifying.

"You two, stop making wild guesses!" Chen Ao waved at Luo Feng. "I've known about your situation for a long time. I've been waiting for you!"

Luo Feng smiled awkwardly, unsure whether he ought to play along.

Still, Luo Feng courteously bowed to Chen Ao. "Thank you for your warning, senior. It kept my family from coming to harm!"

Luo Feng cared deeply about his family and knew about some of the things that had happened at home while he was taking over another body.

Although Chen Ao had done nothing himself, his deliberate warning had allowed them to prepare, keeping his family safe and preventing any trouble.

So, even though Luo Feng somewhat resented Chen Ao for standing by instead of saving him, he still felt grateful to him.

"It was only what I should have done!" Chen Ao studied Luo Feng carefully.

So this is the protagonist known as the Father of the Universe? He looks pretty ordinary.

Right, he's the protagonist precisely because he's ordinary.

Those who proclaimed that someone had the makings of a Great Emperor tended not to die peacefully.

"Have you already decided to venture into the universe?" Chen Ao asked.

"Yes, senior. Our spaceship is ready, and we'll be heading into the universe soon!"

That was also why Hong had specifically brought Luo Feng here. None of them knew when they would be able to return.

"Very good, very good. Earth's future is in your hands!"

The three fell silent.

"By the way, there's actually a small favor I'd like to ask of you this time! I'd like you to help me get access to the Virtual Universe!"

Luo Feng nodded. "That's a small matter. When I return, I'll arrange access for you, senior!"

"Excellent. I'll be waiting for you, then!"

With that, Chen Ao turned to Lei and Hong.

"I know what you want to say, but I must remind you that the universe is very dangerous. An old man past seventy like me won't be joining you!"

"Also, once you enter the universe, you might be captured and enslaved because you're too weak. If that happens, well, endure it for a few years. I might be able to rescue you! But the chances of that are very low!"

The three remained silent.

Seeing their silence, Chen Ao said no more and soon closed his eyes.

Luo Feng and the other two bowed, then slowly withdrew.

Aboard the spaceship, Luo Feng looked at Hong and Lei strangely. Though they had only just met, Chen Ao had struck him as a complete charlatan, with an overwhelming air of putting on airs.

If Chen Ao hadn't been his senior, Luo Feng might have been unable to resist giving him a beating.

"Big brother, second brother, is that senior really powerful?"

Hong and Lei nodded at the same time. "Even together, the two of us can't stand against a single finger of his!"

Luo Feng was instantly stunned. "How is that possible!"

"It's true. Although we both have domains and have sparred with our elder brother many times, every time he extends a single finger, we're both pinned firmly to the ground, unable to move at all!"

"Exactly. We can't move at all. That pressure is ten or even a hundred times greater than what the Devouring Beast put on me back then!"

Luo Feng fell silent. He truly hadn't realized that Chen Ao was an extraordinarily powerful expert.

Babata emerged at that moment and said disdainfully, "What's so impressive about that? He's just a native at Star Level Nine. If he doesn't seize this chance to leave Earth, he'll never amount to anything for the rest of his life!"

Babata didn't think much of Chen Ao, who was purely a warrior.

"Luo Feng, you've had an incredible stroke of fortune. It won't take you long to surpass him!"

Luo Feng nodded, though he was still astonished by Chen Ao's strength.

Star Level Nine-that made him even stronger than Luo Feng's Golden Horned Beast.

Chen Ao sat on the rock as he had day after day for forty years. Watching the spaceship soar into the sky, he couldn't help smiling.

"The incredible Virtual Universe! Soon, I'll finally get to experience it!"

His chance to grow stronger lay within the Virtual Universe. As long as he could enter it, he would be able to obtain some basic information.

He would no longer have to puzzle out how to comprehend laws or use Phantom Bodies all on his own.

"They won't be gone very long this time. They'll be back soon!"

Chen Ao wasn't worried.

As for why he wasn't venturing into the universe himself?

Well, because it wasn't particularly safe.

If they encountered some evil Domain Lord, Luo Feng might gain his favor simply for stepping forward with his left foot first, and might even be taken on as his disciple.

Meanwhile, Chen Ao might be captured and enslaved simply for being a person.

He glanced at the Black Metal Plate beside him, which had long since become covered in moss. Once they returned, he could make a trade with Luo Feng.

Just as Chen Ao had predicted, Luo Feng and his companions didn't stay long on their first trip into the universe. After learning how cruel it was, they soon returned.

After making arrangements for some matters on Earth, Luo Feng and the other two brought Chen Ao the sensor that would give him access to the Virtual Universe, as promised.

"Brother, you were right. It's really easy to end up a slave out in the universe!" Lei was the first to speak, in his usual casual manner.

This time, they had seen for themselves that Chen Ao hadn't been trying to scare them. Being weak truly was dangerous!

Chen Ao nodded. "I'm Earth's sage of this generation. I wouldn't lie to you!"

At Chen Ao's words, Lei, who had been planning to teach him a little about the universe, promptly shut his mouth.

The three suddenly fell silent again.