The Decision

Outside the Yan Ji Continent, a C9-class silver-blue cosmic disc-shaped spacecraft soared through space.

“The distance is closing,” Luo Feng said, his expression solemn in the control room. “The distance between it and me is constantly shrinking.” Every cell in his body trembled with excitement, each one locking onto a distant point. Luo Feng clearly determined that, as time passed, that 'point' was steadily approaching the Yan Ji Continent.

“It’s moving.”

“What exactly is it, that its call is so strong even across such an incredibly vast distance?” Luo Feng frowned in thought. “Nine times out of ten… it must be related to the Nameless Secret Manual. Only treasures connected to the Nameless Secret Manual, like the Soldier Armor or General Armor, would evoke such a strong sense of summoning in me.”

Luo Feng had always found this so-called sense of summoning incredibly mysterious. Logically, even a treasure shouldn't generate such a feeling.

Treasures like the Shi Wu Wings, the Beast God Weapon, and countless others were abundant among the powerful cultivators in Chaos City, yet none had ever produced this summoning sensation. Luo Feng even searched the Virtual Universe Network and found no mention of treasures that could summon people. He could only draw one conclusion:

This treasure likely had stringent requirements for its owner, such as 'only usable by those who cultivate the Nameless Secret Manual,' which would explain the intense summoning.

“I’ve checked,” Luo Feng mused. “The Virtual Universe Company’s treasury doesn’t contain any mysterious armor that, once used, grants the wielder 1,000 times, or even 10,000 times, the power of a Sector Lord. Such specialized armor… at least within my clearance level, I haven’t found any in the treasury. And the fragments of the Soldier Armor and General Armor have been in the Wulong Starfield for countless years, treated as trash. It’s likely no one ever discovered their special nature.”

“Hmm,” Luo Feng nodded.

In summary…

Treasures connected to the Nameless Secret Manual must be exceedingly rare, or at least, humanity doesn't yet fully understand them.

“It’s moving.”

“So what is it? Is it a treasure? Or is it a living being?” Luo Feng was filled with questions.

…

Days passed.

Luo Feng’s spacecraft continuously flew through the outer space of the Yan Ji Continent. However, the Yan Ji Continent was simply too vast; even after three months of sub-light speed travel, the spacecraft had yet to leave the main continental region!

“Closer,” Luo Feng said, barely containing his excitement. “It’s getting closer and closer to me. I estimate we’ll meet in about ten days to half a month. For these past three months, it’s been constantly moving, and its speed has almost always been at sub-light. So… there’s a high probability it’s inside a cosmic spacecraft.”

…

The distance continued to shrink.

When it was approximately 10 billion kilometers away, Luo Feng deliberately stopped his spacecraft.

“Stop,” Luo Feng commanded, his eyes like electricity, gazing into the infinite void, as if he could see the distant spacecraft.

10 billion kilometers!

9 billion kilometers, 8 billion kilometers… the distance steadily decreased. Five hours passed in a flash.

“No…” Luo Feng frowned and shook his head. “It’s not heading directly towards me; it’s continuing to fly within the Yan Ji Continent. I can sense it, but that spacecraft probably can’t sense me, otherwise it would have flown straight here. This indicates that the owner of that spacecraft doesn’t possess the ability to sense Soldier Armor or General Armor, unlike me.”

“Excellent,” Luo Feng smiled.

The fact that the other party lacked the ability to sense treasures was good news.

“Approach,” Luo Feng ordered. “Approach it.”

“Understood,” Babata replied.

Luo Feng guided the direction, and the spacecraft steadily closed in on the mysterious treasure. The distance continued to shrink: 3 billion kilometers, 2 billion kilometers…

…

Inside a sword-shaped spacecraft flying above the Yan Ji Continent.

A black-armored youth stood in the control room, gazing at the boundless scenery outside, laughing heartily. “As expected of the Outer Territory Battlefield! The Yan Ji Continent truly has countless powerful cultivators. In the one or two months since entering the main continent, I’ve already clashed with alien powerhouses over a dozen times. Their methods are truly diverse and exhilarating! Back in our own race’s territory, how could I encounter so many alien powerhouses? Only by coming to this vast Outer Territory Battlefield, where the most powerful cultivators of the cosmos gather, can one truly feel the immensity of the universe and the multitude of races. Almost none of the teams of alien powerhouses I’ve encountered have been duplicates; most belong to different races.”

“This is the Outer Territory Battlefield, after all, the Outer Territory Battlefield of the four peak races,” a servant respectfully said.

“When will our race become a peak race?” the black-armored youth sighed. “Although our race is a powerful race, there’s only one tier separating a powerful race from a peak race. Yet, the difference in strength is immeasurable. Whether it’s the number of basic Undying cultivators or super-powerhouses, they’re not on the same level. Our race can only contend with peak races by forming alliances with many other powerful races.”

“Your Highness,” another servant respectfully interjected, “There are only six peak races in the universe, after all. Becoming a peak race is inherently extremely difficult. Moreover… with our alliance of many other powerful races, a large alliance naturally doesn’t fear those peak races. At the very least, we can achieve equal dialogue.”

“Hmm,” the black-armored youth nodded.

In the universe,

The six peak races were the most powerful among billions of races.

However, this didn't mean they were invincible. While individual members of other races were far inferior to those of the six peak races, if all of them combined, they would outnumber the six peak races by thousands or even tens of thousands of times. After all, the sheer number of alien races was immense, which led to the formation of various alliances throughout the universe.

Even with weaker individual strength, forming an alliance allowed them to contend with the six peak races.

Alliances also varied in strength.

The struggle for power in the universe was incredibly brutal. Even proud races like the Starry Sky Behemoths were forced to unite and form the ‘Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance’ to prevent other alien races from disrespecting them. The Starry Sky Behemoths could only go so far; as for the Demon Race's elaborate schemes to integrate the Starry Sky Behemoths… the Starry Sky Behemoths held the Demon Race in utter contempt, so how could they possibly integrate?

…

The distance between the two spacecrafts continued to shrink.

1 billion kilometers—this was the limit of Luo Feng’s detector.

“The distance should be 990 million kilometers,” Luo Feng clearly sensed the treasure’s coordinates. “Babata, have you found it?”

“990 million kilometers? But, but, Luo Feng, my detector hasn’t found any cosmic spacecraft at 990 million kilometers. I’ve only detected two cosmic spacecrafts, one at 510 million kilometers and another at 780 million kilometers,” Babata said. “I haven’t found the target you’re looking for.”

“Hmm?” Luo Feng frowned.

“Continue to approach, following the coordinate direction,” Luo Feng ordered again.

The distance continued to shrink.

800 million kilometers, 700 million kilometers, 600 million kilometers…

“Nothing found.”

“Still nothing.”

“Within 420 million kilometers, no spacecraft has been detected,” Babata stated. “Nor have any other sub-light speed objects been detected.”

Luo Feng’s face turned ashen.

He clearly sensed that point moving at sub-light speed, yet his detector couldn’t find it. The most likely explanation was that the other party possessed a more advanced detector than his own.

“The Machine Race I encountered before had a more advanced detector than mine. Could it be that the being I’m about to encounter also has a more advanced detector?” Luo Feng gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Stop,” Luo Feng commanded.

The spacecraft halted.

Meanwhile, the distant sword-shaped spacecraft continued its advance. Although not flying directly towards him, the distance was still shrinking.

380 million kilometers… 360 million kilometers… 300 million kilometers!

“Hmm?” Luo Feng, who had been constantly sensing the movement of that ‘point,’ clearly felt it suddenly change direction, flying directly towards his location with incredible precision. It was clear his spacecraft had been targeted.

“I’ve been discovered,” Luo Feng’s eyes snapped open.

“The other party has already found me.”

Luo Feng glanced down at his arm guard screen. The screen still showed no sign of his target, not even a sub-light speed object. “My detector couldn’t find the other party, yet they immediately pinpointed my location at 300 million kilometers and changed course to fly precisely towards me.”

“Clearly, they possess a more advanced detector.”

…

Inside the sword-shaped spacecraft.

“There’s a black-winged human in the distance. He’s the only one in the entire spacecraft, likely a powerful cultivator from one of the winged human sub-races,” a servant respectfully reported. “The detector Your Highness possesses was bestowed by a Venerable, and it’s absolutely top-tier on the Yan Ji Continent. That human Undying had no idea.”

“Hmm,” the black-armored youth nodded slightly.

…

The distance between the two continued to shrink.

200 million kilometers, 100 million kilometers. The sword-shaped spacecraft flew directly towards Luo Feng’s vessel, its direction precise and unwavering.

“What should I do?” Luo Feng felt every cell in his body tremble, his blood boiling with excitement.

Excitement.

Cheering.

It was as if he was about to obtain an extraordinary treasure, but Luo Feng forcefully suppressed this instinctive urge.

“Should I fight with all my might?”

“Or should I immediately evade and escape?”

“If I fight, my insectoid army needs to be within 100,000 kilometers; if the distance is too great, it’ll be too easy for them to dodge. If I send out my Golden Horned Beast clone… there’s a risk of exposing its coordinates. I don’t know which faction this enemy spacecraft belongs to, but I can only be certain it’s not a human faction. If it’s a Machine Race faction… once they see the Golden Horned Beast clone, they’ll probably immediately notify that Machine Race enemy, who would likely teleport here instantly.”

Luo Feng intensely weighed his options.

“Argh!”

“What to do?”

“Anyone with such a high-end detector is definitely not an ordinary Marquis-level Undying. Either they have a significant background, or their strength is extraordinary. My Earthling Original Body can only deal with Beginner Marquis-level Undying. Someone who can afford such a high-end detector wouldn’t lack even Beginner Marquis-level combat power.” Luo Feng was anxious.

He wanted to fight and seize the treasure.

But his strength wasn’t enough.

The Golden Horned Beast clone, his only hope, carried the risk of exposure. If it were truly exposed, the Machine Race powerhouses, who would be well-prepared, would retaliate with unimaginable ferocity, likely leading to his demise.

“90 million kilometers… 80 million kilometers…” Luo Feng clearly sensed the distance continuously shrinking.