To Retreat or Not to Retreat?

Silence. Across Earth's various Base Cities, countless people fell silent. In Paris Base City, within the European Union, a procession of protestors looked up at the screens, filled with anticipation. Yes, they had been protesting the higher-ups for abandoning them, demanding that Earth's leadership cooperate with the 'Nuolanshan Family' from the cosmos. But that was because—Earth couldn't resist the Nuolanshan Family! No one willingly becomes a slave or servant, unless they're deranged! This group of protestors didn't want to be slaves either. If... by not submitting to the Nuolanshan Family, they could gain freedom and life, they would, of course, be willing. “Luo Feng!” “It’s actually Luo Feng. Judging by this video, it seems these aliens, the ‘Nuolanshan Family,’ are also from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.” “Is this Black Dragon Mountain Empire a nation in the cosmos?” “Luo Feng is an Earthling, how did he become a planet lord of a cosmic nation? And our Earth’s lord?” “Who knows.” In terms of intelligence, Earthlings weren't foolish. From Luo Feng's globally broadcast speech, they could easily deduce... the Black Dragon Mountain Empire was a powerful cosmic nation, many, many times stronger than the seemingly formidable Nuolanshan Family. And Luo Feng, Earth's pride, had become a planet lord of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Joy! If Earth were to integrate into the cosmos and have a planet lord, Earthlings naturally hoped it would be a native Earthling! Moreover, Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen had long been deified. If any of these three became Earth's lord, humanity wouldn't have much resistance. “I wonder if Luo Feng’s words will be effective.” “And the Nuolanshan Family, will they retreat or not?” People worried... Across Earth's six major survival bases. “Is Luo Feng’s status as a planet lord actually useful?” “Cosmic nations can’t be exactly like those on Earth... it’s hard to say!” “Let’s wait and see, we’ll know soon enough.” On Earth, billions of ordinary citizens and the high-ranking officials alike waited, watching for the Nuolanshan Family's reaction. Luo Feng and his companions' spaceship continued its rapid advance through the dark universe. Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island. Inside a restaurant private room. Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen watched the screen that materialized before them, maintaining their call with Xu Xin. “Xu Xin, what’s happening?” Luo Feng pressed, “What’s the Nuolanshan Family’s reaction? Have they retreated?” “Satellite surveillance shows those two battleships are still hovering over the Pacific Ocean, motionless.” Xu Xin was also anxious. “Perhaps the Nuolanshan Family is still discussing it.” “Motionless?” Luo Feng frowned. “They wouldn’t dare not leave.” Lei Shen’s eyes gleamed. “If they don’t, we’ll record their actions, send it to the Empire’s headquarters, and they’ll be directly classified as ‘star pirates.’ The Black Dragon Mountain Empire is a very powerful mid-level cosmic civilization! It absolutely won’t allow such a family to act with impunity!” “If it were a super-large family, it might be debatable.” “But the Nuolanshan Family, while a tough nut to crack for empires like the Silverblue Empire, is nothing more than an ant to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire!” Lei Shen said with confidence. These words made Hong and Luo Feng nod slightly. “More talk is useless.” Luo Feng frowned. “Let’s see what they choose to do!” Luo Feng and the other two maintained contact with Earth, silently waiting... for news to arrive! *** Earth, above the Pacific Ocean. Two colossal interstellar battleships hovered in mid-air. Inside the control room of one of them, the eight direct disciples stood, the atmosphere extremely oppressive. The 'shocking joy' of discovering the strange giant sphere earlier was long forgotten; now, their hearts were filled with immense vexation. “Earth’s lord?” “Earth actually has a lord now?” “What do we do now?” The atmosphere was incredibly stifling. Everyone knew that if the Nuolanshan Family didn't withdraw from Earth, it would be an absolute felony! With Earth having a lord, it became someone's private property, their territory! Infringing upon territory, or even wantonly plundering within it, was an act absolutely forbidden by the Imperial Constitution and would be directly classified as 'star piracy.' Star pirates, or cosmic bandits, were detested by all major empires and would be swiftly eliminated! “Come with me to see the Patriarch,” Pula said in a low voice. “Yes.” The other seven responded. Such a matter could only be decided by the Patriarch. Just half a minute later. Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island. In the grand hall of a luxurious residence, the eight direct disciples stood side-by-side. A screen materialized before them, displaying two figures: the current Patriarch, Yu Ke Nuolanshan, and the Old Patriarch, Dewen Nuolanshan. “Teacher, Old Patriarch, this is the video that was publicly broadcast on Earth earlier,” Pula said respectfully. Immediately, the video began to play. Upon seeing the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's certificate of Earth's ownership, the two patriarchs' expressions turned extremely grim. What particularly infuriated them was Luo Feng reading from the Imperial Constitution in the video. “Disappear from my territory immediately! Otherwise, your Nuolanshan Family will be prosecuted as ‘star pirates’ by the Black Dragon Mountain Empire’s army!” The video's final sentence left the two patriarchs at a loss. Earth clearly held immense treasures, yet suddenly it had become someone else's territory! “Earth is Luo Feng’s territory?” Yu Ke Nuolanshan couldn’t believe it. “Yes, Teacher. I just checked; the Empire’s records confirm it. Luo Feng must have just become Earth’s lord today,” Pula added. “Bastard!” Yu Ke Nuolanshan gritted his teeth in anger. “Who is this Luo Feng? Which family is he from?” the Old Patriarch beside him asked with a displeased frown. “He is one of the three top experts among Earthlings. Currently, he should be a Planet-level Ninth-tier, I estimate,” Pula replied respectfully. “What, an Earthling?” The Old Patriarch’s eyes widened. “An Earthling?” “A ‘native’ from an aboriginal planet suddenly became Earth’s lord? To buy a planet, even if the discoverer gets a preferential price, for a ‘top-tier life planet’ like Earth, it would still cost three trillion Black Dragon coins!” It was certainly not something an ordinary person could afford, which was why he asked about the family! “Yes, he’s an Earthling.” Pula nodded. “He must have found some treasure on Earth, sold it, and made a fortune.” “Earth’s treasure?” The two patriarchs' hearts ached at the thought of that Mechanical Race spaceship! That was a Mechanical Race vessel, at least D-grade. It was far more valuable than the entire Nuolanshan Family's assets! To activate and conquer such a ship, judging by the entrance's defenses, at least a Universe-level Fifth or Sixth-tier expert would be needed. “Teacher, what do we do? Do we retreat or not?” Pula asked anxiously. “Old Patriarch, are we retreating or not?” The other direct disciples were also extremely anxious. “We don’t have much time to hesitate. Lingering on Earth for too long will also get us classified as ‘star pirates,’” Pula said urgently. Patriarch Yu Ke Nuolanshan gritted his teeth in fury: “Bastard! That Luo Feng, I’ll kill him!” “Retreat!” the Old Patriarch roared, his face contorted. The eight direct disciples were stunned. “Old Patriarch!!!” Yu Ke Nuolanshan stared at the Old Patriarch in astonishment. “Are we just giving up like this?” The Old Patriarch rebuked angrily: “Yu Ke, have you lost your mind? What if we don’t give up? What if that Mechanical Race spaceship is valuable? Once we’re branded ‘star pirates,’ the Empire’s army can annihilate our Nuolanshan Family without breaking a sweat. Are you suggesting we let our entire family perish for Earth’s treasure?” “We, we...” Yu Ke Nuolanshan hesitated. “Yes, we could escape. But the entire Nuolanshan Family was painstakingly built over many years by the ‘Clan Ancestor.’ Are you going to let the Clan Ancestor’s hard work go to waste?” the Old Patriarch snapped. Yu Ke Nuolanshan fell silent. Indeed. Back then, the Clan Ancestor, the family's founder 'Nuolanshan,' single-handedly established the Nuolanshan Family, using his name as the family surname. After tens of thousands of years of proliferation and growth, it evolved into the prosperous Nuolanshan Family of today. “Retreat!” the Old Patriarch ordered. Yu Ke Nuolanshan sighed softly. Pula and the other eight direct disciples looked at the two patriarchs, then respectfully assented: “Yes!” *** On Earth, as Pula and the eight disciples issued their orders, Nuolanshan Family members, originally scattered across the planet, swiftly converged on the two major fleets. Regarding the fleet's withdrawal... since they were retreating, the Nuolanshan Family naturally wouldn't conceal it. Instead, they actively displayed their departure, ensuring the 'Earth's lord' had no pretext to sue them in the cosmic imperial court. Six major survival bases. Via satellite, Earth's high-ranking officials clearly saw large numbers of Nuolanshan Family personnel rapidly converging on the fleet. “Haha, they’re retreating.” “They’re really retreating!” “They’re gathering their forces.” “They’re all boarding the battleships.” “We won!” “We won!” “Victory!” The ecstatic Earth officials shouted freely, expressing their joy! This news was also quickly relayed through Xu Xin, reaching Luo Feng and the other two in the dark universe, incredibly far from Earth, bringing them the good tidings. Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen watched the video, showing the Nuolanshan Family personnel swiftly converging from all directions and boarding the battleships. “It really looks like they’re retreating,” Lei Shen’s eyes sparkled. “Don’t rush,” Hong said, staring at the screen. “Wait until the fleet flies away from Earth before saying that.” “It’s going to succeed.” Luo Feng also held his breath, waiting. Waiting for the moment those two battleships would take off and leave Earth! Rumble~~ The two colossal interstellar battleships, tracked and filmed by numerous Earth satellites, finally began to accelerate, flying upwards and quickly entering the atmosphere. This scene was broadcast directly to television and computer screens in every household across all nations and Base Cities on Earth. “A day that held our breath, a day that terrified us, a day that brought us despair! We had been hopeless, believing that all of us would eventually be ruled by this ‘Nuolanshan Family’ from the cosmos. But then, when that massive three-dimensional virtual projection appeared in the sky, and I saw that figure... I remembered the figure who, without hesitation, plunged into the sea to fight the Devouring Beast to the death. Yes! I was conquered by him, he is a hero! Yes, a hero!!!” The TV host’s tears flowed uncontrollably. Every TV station, in every country, played those same videos, but narrated them in their respective languages. “Victory!” “Freedom!” “We won.” “Haha...” Some of the sit-in protestors, seeing the two colossal interstellar battleships ascend and depart on the giant screen in the plaza, jumped up, shouting wildly in excitement. “Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen, ever since they learned of the Nuolanshan Family’s impending arrival, disregarded their lives and ventured into the cosmos, fighting for humanity’s last glimmer of hope. They succeeded, yes! All three of them succeeded!” The television also showed a video of Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen together, immensely excited and joyful. This video had been sent by Luo Feng and the other two via the virtual universe network. “It’s too exciting, I’m practically going crazy.” In the spaceship’s control room, Lei Shen was ecstatic. “Seriously, when I saw the entire Earth, every Base City, every place, countless people cheering excitedly, some kneeling to kiss the ground. My whole body trembled with excitement. I knew... this is our race, this is our root, they are my compatriots, my compatriots!!!” “Yes, we succeeded, we succeeded.” Even Hong, usually so calm, had moist eyes at this moment. “I can’t even stay in the virtual universe network anymore.” Luo Feng’s emotions were also incredibly high. “Watching the scenes from all over the world being transmitted, I feel like my head is about to explode from excitement.” “I want to go home, back to Earth.” Luo Feng shouted in the spaceship’s control room. “I want to return to Earth right now, to that place!” “Me too!” Lei Shen nodded repeatedly. “Yes, home.” Hong also nodded. Ecstatic! The cosmic adventure spaceship continued its advance through the dark universe, heading towards Earth's corresponding dark universe coordinates. *** In contrast to Earthlings, and Luo Feng. Inside the two Nuolanshan Family battleships, the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive. In the lead battleship's control room, the eight direct disciples stood, not a single smile on their faces. “Bastard!” “Shit.” “How could this happen?” “How did this Luo Feng become Earth’s lord, and so quickly?” The atmosphere was cold and oppressive, driving one to madness. Beep! Pula frowned slightly. The other direct disciples looked at him. Pula said in a low voice, “The Patriarch wants to see me.” With that, he immediately walked towards his cabin. In the virtual universe network. The current Patriarch, Yu Ke Nuolanshan, and the Old Patriarch, Dewen Nuolanshan, both stood there respectfully. Beside them stood an extremely lean man with pointed ears and eyes like venomous scorpions. He wore a dark green combat suit, and on his chest was a strange giant axe medal. “For the family?” “Considering me?” The man’s fury blazed. “What is the family worth? I started from nothing and created this family! I can create another in the future! The most important thing is strength! It’s strength, do you understand? I am now Universe-level Ninth-tier, just a step away from becoming a Domain Lord! If I had incredible wealth and could hire an Undying expert to guide me, I could cross this threshold. Then, I would have a lifespan of 100 epochs, and the Nuolanshan Family would be even more glorious in the future!” “Conquest? A joke!” “The family elites can just take their spaceships, traverse the cosmos, and at worst, leave the Black Dragon Mountain Empire!” “Those planets, just abandon them!” “When I become a Domain Lord, the Nuolanshan Family will be a hundred times stronger than it is now!” the man said coldly. “Moreover, plundering Earth wouldn’t necessarily drag my Nuolanshan Family down. After all, abandoning so many planets and such a foundation directly would be quite a waste.” The two patriarchs, before the ‘Clan Ancestor,’ dared not utter a single word in response. Beep! A notification sound rang out. “Oh, the little fellow commanding the fleet is here.” The man then revealed a cold smile.