In the Dark Universe, a blood-red triangular spaceship hurtled along at high speed.
Inside its main control room stood a magnificent, spacious semicircular hall, dozens of meters high and nearly two hundred meters long and wide.
"Master! Master! The ship has successfully entered the Dark Universe!" A child barely a meter and forty-five centimeters tall cheered excitedly. Dressed in black robes, with two blood-red horns on his forehead, he had crimson eyes brimming with the joy of surviving disaster.
Hu Yanbo had poured countless hours and immense effort into building this blood-red triangular spaceship. In the Dark Universe, it could reach thirty times the speed of light.
Although it could not compare to the Virtual Universe Company's internal F-grade spaceships, it was still among the finest ships in all of Human Territory. Even Demon Hand King's ship could, at most, reach this speed.
That meant they were safe for the moment.
Once they found a safe area, they could return to their base through Divine Kingdom Teleportation.
"Yes... we shook him off." A hoarse voice rang out, carrying an indescribable bitterness.
The voice came from the broad seat in the center of the hall.
The figure seated there was nearly three meters tall. His most striking feature was the pair of supple antennae extending from his forehead, now drooping limply.
Apart from those antennae and his far larger physique, his face closely resembled that of Earth Humans. Yet none of his usual arrogance remained.
Becoming a Marquis Immortal in sixty million years, commanding nine Immortal Servants, and even having a Marquis Level servant among them... these achievements had given him every reason to be proud.
"Master?" This unusual reaction instantly froze Babata's joy.
That was not how someone who had escaped certain death should sound!
"What do you mean? Isn't shaking him off a good thing? Your voice... are you injured? But your aura is still so powerful!" Panic crept into Babata's voice, and even his virtual figure began to tremble.
"Before the ship entered the Dark Universe, Demon Hand King's Soul Attack pierced through the ship and struck my soul." His voice abruptly stopped there.
There was no need to say more.
The one sitting on the throne was no longer the original Hu Yanbo. It was a new consciousness that had just taken possession of this body and was struggling to control it-Xiao Feng.
Yes, his name was Xiao Feng.
Just a few seconds earlier, he had been an ordinary man on Earth, toiling to make a living.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had found himself aboard this luxurious spaceship, bearing an unfamiliar yet powerful name and facing an immediate threat of death.
Helplessness and a sense of absurdity nearly overwhelmed him.
This was ridiculous!
Other people transmigrated into Swallowed Star and, if they were lucky, possessed a Universe Venerable and ruled a region. Even the less fortunate became Immortal Gods who roamed the stars. Failing that, they could at least find somewhere to make a steady start.
But him? Sure, he had possessed an Immortal God, but he started out being hunted by a King Rank expert. He had barely arrived, and all he could do was wait to die!
Demon Hand King! He was a genuine King-level Immortal!
Even if he ranked at the very bottom among King Rank experts, he was still a pinnacle existence among Immortal Gods!
Hu Yanbo, on the other hand, was an Immortal who had barely attained the Marquis rank. He had not even fully stabilized his undying body.
If not for the Yunmo Star Ship's incredible materials and formidable defenses, he probably would not even have had the chance to escape into the Dark Universe.
Yet at the final moment, he had still taken a full-power Soul Attack from Demon Hand King head-on.
Now, Xiao Feng could clearly sense the condition inside his body.
His immense immortal divine power remained vast. Every movement could destroy heaven and earth, and this divine body was in perfect condition.
But that was only on the surface!
The truly fatal wound lay in the deepest reaches of his soul.
An invisible, colorless "terrifying poison" had already permeated every part of his soul fused with his divine power. Every soul imprint was constantly dissolving and shattering.
With each one that shattered, another portion of his life essence dissipated.
His energy was intact? His body was unharmed? So what?
As time passed, all his soul imprints would eventually collapse completely.
That would be the moment he, Xiao Feng-a transmigrator wearing Hu Yanbo's skin-truly ceased to exist.
Yes, the original Hu Yanbo was already dead.
And Xiao Feng had merely inherited this empty shell, delaying his death.
Xiao Feng swept his gaze across the hall.
The hall was in utter disarray. In the distance lay a corpse devoid of all signs of life. That should have been Hu Yanbo's second disciple.
Not far away, five battered beings of different shapes and sizes lay sprawled on the floor. They were barely breathing, but still alive.
Apart from the dead disciple, these should all be soul slaves, Xiao Feng thought.
Soul slaves' lives were bound to their master's. If the master died, the slaves would inevitably perish.
Looks like they'll all be joining me in the grave. At that thought, he felt little sadness or guilt. Instead, a strange calm settled over him at the prospect of not walking the road to the afterlife alone.
As a transmigrator familiar with the original Swallowed Star novel, Xiao Feng knew exactly what would happen next.
Hu Yanbo would die, but his intelligent life, Babata, would wait on Earth for tens of thousands of years, eventually meet Luo Feng, accept him as a disciple on his master's behalf, and help him grow.
As for Hu Yanbo himself, Luo Feng would resurrect him in the future by using Reverse Time and Space, after becoming a supreme expert!
As long as Babata finds Luo Feng according to the original plot, my death now will merely be a sleep lasting hundreds of thousands of years, Xiao Feng mocked himself deep within his consciousness.
Close my eyes, open them again, and revive right here at full health?
Since his death seemed inevitable, Xiao Feng could only comfort himself this way.
He gathered his thoughts and began considering what he would leave behind-he had to arrange everything properly, ensure Luo Feng received all the resources, and instruct Babata well, so that Luo Feng would learn from Babata that Hu Yanbo was the teacher who treated him best!
Why had Luo Feng not been particularly close to his first teacher, Hu Yanbo, in the original story, while sharing a father-and-son bond with True Yan King instead?
A major reason was that Hu Yanbo had died too early. Luo Feng had received only the inheritance Babata safeguarded.
He had to make Luo Feng understand: even though your teacher is dead, you can still feel my warmth!
Just as he forced himself to rally and prepared to give Babata instructions, he suddenly sensed that something seemed to have appeared deep within his mind.
"Hm?" Xiao Feng's mind sharpened, and he immediately focused his attention on it.
At a glance, both antennae on his forehead instinctively snapped straight!
(Advance System) (This system will protect the host's independent personality during fusion with the original owner.) [Name: Void Tower (top-tier Soul Defense Secret Technique)] [Currently unlocked floors: the seventh floor can be obtained in advance (complete pagoda form)] [Condition after obtaining the advance: receive one in-depth lesson from the creator of this secret technique.] [Advances currently available: one!] [Obtain the advance?] [Yes/No]
Lin Feng's consciousness fixed unwaveringly on that line of text and the sole option, [Yes]!
A top-tier Soul Defense Secret Technique! The seventh floor of the Void Tower! Its complete form!
Wasn't... wasn't this exactly what he needed right now, something that could counter that lethal soul poison?!
The temptation was irresistible!
When hope suddenly appeared, his willingness to calmly face death vanished in an instant!
He barely hesitated!
His consciousness instantly locked onto [Yes]!
He could live! Who wanted to die?! Even if Reverse Time and Space could resurrect him in the future, he had no desire to experience this meaningless "death"!
Wouldn't it be better to live on and personally witness this magnificent era of the universe?!
Before you continue