Boom!
After sweeping the fierce beasts clean from the Aozhou continent, Huang Tian rocketed forward, trailing a long white vapor plume across the sky as he headed straight for the Great Yan Federation.
Meanwhile, the countless citizens who had been watching the satellite livestream finally erupted, their cheers loud enough to blow off the roofs.
"Humanity has won!"
"From now on, fierce beasts can no longer threaten humanity's safety! Human civilization has crossed a massive hurdle and will keep stumbling forward!"
"Divine Huang truly deserves to be called a god! He alone killed at least ninety percent of the fierce beasts—and among that ninety percent were countless Beast Generals and Lord-rank fierce beasts."
"Who would have thought that the brutal era of fierce beasts would end after lasting only a single month? Replacing it is the true Great Evolution era! I'm already wondering: without the threat of fierce beasts, now that we've stepped completely onto the right track of evolution, what will our cultivation eventually reach?"
"I'm not wondering about that at all, because we can just look at Boss Huang Tian to see what lies ahead! Whatever level he can evolve to, humanity will have the chance to evolve to!
Right now he can already cover seven kilometers in a second. In the near-zero resistance of outer space, going three times faster wouldn't be a problem at all—meaning twenty-one kilometers a second, over sixty times the speed of sound! With his physical body alone, he might be able to traverse space and explore the galaxy!"
"Exploring the vast, boundless sea of stars... humanity's oldest, longest-cherished dream..."
The internet was a sea of jubilation, and the real world was equally electric. As Huang Tian flew past city after city, he could see many people weeping tears of joy below. They rejoiced at the arrival of peace and harbored beautiful hopes for the distant future.
Living in such an era of Great Evolution, anyone willing to cultivate who possessed even a sliver of talent would sooner or later produce results. Setting immortality aside, simply strengthening the body and gaining immunity to all illnesses through cultivation and evolution was enough to bring immense delight.
And if it could prolong life, that was an even greater blessing. Although no one could yet say with certainty that cultivation would definitely extend lifespan, scientists deduced that since existences above Lord rank like the Twin-Winged Giant Dragon—or Huang Tian—could withstand missiles head-on and achieve physical flight, their physical constitutions were bound to be powerful beyond belief. Gaining extended lifespans would be only natural.
Boom! Boom!
Amid rolling sonic booms, Huang Tian arrived back in Fuxia City. By now, the satellite livestream had shut down. As he returned to the military command center, Yun Yan and the others scrambled to their feet.
"Director Huang!" Yun Yan stepped forward eagerly, came to attention before Huang Tian, and saluted. His face beamed with boundless excitement. "The fierce beasts have almost been wiped clean! Mopping-up operations are underway everywhere now, and infrastructure reconstruction is about to begin. Everything is waiting to be rebuilt, but everyone has something to look forward to..."
As he spoke, he felt rather ashamed. Just a few hours ago, he had believed Huang Tian's actions were far too reckless, that the day for a final showdown with the fierce beasts was still far off.
Looking back now, he had simply underestimated Huang Tian's capability. Furthermore, he had to admit that he had harbored deep fear of the fierce beasts—a fear that had made him overcautious and hesitant.
"Before long, New Star will welcome tremendous development," Huang Tian said with a smile.
Since his spectacular display in the Saint Martial Arena of the Virtual Universe, major factions like the Galactic Empire and the Divine Light Empire would inevitably find New Star and invest on a massive scale. Anything slipping casually through their fingers would be more than enough to feed and clothe the people of New Star.
Though Yun Yan did not grasp the deeper meaning of Huang Tian's words, he nodded vigorously. Then, remembering something, he hurriedly said, "Director Huang, with the fierce beasts entirely subdued, what are your plans? The capital hopes you will come over to take charge of the Yanwu Department..."
"I am leaving," Huang Tian said, shaking his head.
"Leaving?" Yun Yan froze. "Are you going to another country, or do you plan to establish your own faction?"
With Huang Tian's prowess, a single man could overshadow an entire major nation—no, he overshadowed the entire globe!
If he were willing to found an organization, it would instantly become the most powerful in the world, and no one would dare look down on it.
Thus, Yun Yan guessed that Huang Tian was unwilling to be constrained and planned to establish a martial artist organization independent of all nations, reigning as the uncrowned king of the world and becoming the ancestral founder of martial arts in the hearts of countless people!
In fact, not only Yun Yan had guessed this; the governments of various nations had all considered Huang Tian's next move. Following the destruction of the fierce beasts, Huang Tian, who possessed the globe's supreme martial force, held words and actions that would influence and even direct the course of world events.
For instance, if he wished to forge a human alliance, not a single nation would dare object. If he wanted Great Yan to become the world's preeminent nation, none could resist. At the most extreme, even if he ascended the throne and crowned himself emperor of the Great Evolution era, he would encounter little resistance.
This was both because he wielded supreme strength and because he had brought lasting peace to all humanity, saving New Star's civilization from the catastrophe of annihilation by fierce beasts and preserving countless lives.
With achievements of such magnitude, very few would oppose him taking the throne, and those who did would never dare speak up.
Naturally, the likelihood of declaring himself emperor was extraordinarily slim. The most likely possibilities were either that he would establish an independent martial organization outside of all nations, or that he would do nothing at all and focus entirely on cultivating to pursue higher realms of evolution...
Huang Tian looked calm as he gazed up at the sky. "Neither. I am leaving New Star to head into the universe and pursue a higher path."
Hearing this, Yun Yan's head buzzed. "Into the universe? Can you already traverse space with your physical body? Even if you can, beyond the solar system lies nothing but barren wasteland with no civilization. Where will you go to pursue the path of martial arts?"
Huang Tian chuckled softly. "The universe is vast and boundless. You don't actually believe that New Star's humanity is the sole civilization in the cosmos, do you?"
"I-Isn't that so?" Yun Yan asked blankly.
"To say nothing of the entire cosmos, even in our vast Milky Way Galaxy alone, there are hundreds of thousands of life-bearing planets. Most of the civilizations on those planets are far more advanced than New Star's," Huang Tian remarked casually. "Humanity on New Star simply happened not to have been discovered by an alien civilization. No, actually, it was precisely because New Star was discovered by an alien civilization that the so-called Great Evolution era began."
Yun Yan's mind shook violently. He was astonished by Huang Tian's vast knowledge of the universe, and even more appalled by the origins of the Great Evolution era.
"The mutation of fierce beasts, human evolution... was all of it manipulated and guided by an alien civilization...?" he muttered in a daze.
After the daze passed, he suddenly realized something and felt an overwhelming wave of anxiety. "Right at this very moment, are aliens watching New Star's situation? Will they—"
"They're dead," Huang Tian said succinctly, instantly calming Yun Yan down. "The nuances of all this, you'll naturally understand in time. As for today, I'm departing. Before I leave, this is my gift to you all..."
Walking out of the command center, he raised a hand and beckoned. A gray, oval spaceship tore through the air, dropping its optical cloaking to reveal itself before everyone.
This was none other than the vessel he had seized from Xiu Miluo. But since he was about to depart with his master to cultivate elsewhere, this thing was naturally useless to him. Or rather, to be precise, its value was too low to bother taking along.
"This is a spaceship from an alien civilization. You can try studying it, though the technological disparity is so vast that it will be difficult to decipher much," Huang Tian said. "However, inside are some rare cosmic minerals and devices—for instance, several consciousness-induction helmets. These helmets can connect to the Virtual Universe, where you can make contact with true interstellar civilization."
Yun Yan was completely dazed. A spaceship! He was actually looking at a spaceship from an alien civilization! And then there were cosmic minerals, consciousness helmets, and a Virtual Universe... Hearing it all left him utterly bewildered.
Huang Tian offered no further explanations. He had already issued commands under Xiu Miluo's identity instructing the smart brain to cooperate with Great Yan's scientific exploration. Thus, over time, Great Yan would eventually figure things out without him having to waste his breath.
Leaving the spaceship behind, Huang Tian soared into the sky. "Farewell."
Rumble!
Gazing at Huang Tian's receding silhouette, Yun Yan finally snapped out of his stupor. He slapped his cheek with some force. "Hiss... It's all real! A real spaceship! Beyond New Star, there are other civilizations!"
With that, he leaped up. "Quick! Contact the capital right now! I need to report this immediately!"
The staff officer beside him also snapped out of his shock and confusion, racing off to make the call.
Yun Yan glanced at the exquisite spaceship, which looked almost like a work of art, his breath quickening. Turning on his heel, he sprinted into the command center. This matter was of monumental significance; he had to report it to the higher-ups immediately. He had a premonition that with the era of fierce beasts rising to vie with humanity having ended, an even more unsettling yet thrilling new era was about to begin!
After leaving the spaceship, Huang Tian flew to other parts of Great Yan to visit some old acquaintances of his original body. The original body's parents had both passed away, leaving him all alone with very few relatives and friends, so it did not take up much time.
Whoosh!
Landing in his villa's courtyard like a brilliant rainbow, Huang Tian first killed Xiu Miluo, who had remained unconscious until now. Then, turning toward Sovereign Chuheng, who sat sipping tea in the courtyard, he respectfully said, "Master, your disciple has settled all matters."
Sovereign Chuheng nodded with a smile. "In that case, let us depart."
As soon as the words fell, Huang Tian felt a blur before his eyes. Layer upon layer of space unfolded, and he traveled through a vast spatial passage surrounded by magnificent, radiant galaxies on all sides. In a single blink, they had crossed untold billions of light-years.
Whoosh!
At a certain point, his footing finally steadied, and he discovered he was standing in the airspace above an endlessly vast continent.
Beyond the continent were countless floating islands and hundreds of millions of planets. The cosmic source energy was extraordinarily dense—compared to New Star, one was in the highest heavens while the other was down in the mud.
"This is the Zhouguang Domain, spanning six light-years across," Sovereign Chuheng said. "This is one of our human race's vital regions, and the core territory of our Supreme Virtual Corporation. Only geniuses and powerhouses of our Supreme Virtual Corporation are qualified to cultivate here for a period of time. As my disciple, you naturally have the right to cultivate here as well."
He pointed a finger, sending a streak of light into Huang Tian's forehead. Huang Tian paused briefly as a massive torrent of information flooded his mind.
Soon, Huang Tian sorted through the information. As it turned out, this place was called the Zhouguang Domain, containing one city and three secret realms. The city was Zhouguang City, the core hub of the Zhouguang Domain, where Sovereign Chuheng along with various Supremes and Eternal powerhouses originating from the Virtual Universe engaged in quiet cultivation.
The three secret realms were named Yuanchu, Taixuan, and Danhua, serving as the residences and cultivation grounds for numerous genius disciples.
These genius disciples were largely drawn from past Genius Battles. Only the top two finishers of each competition were qualified to enter the Yuanchu Secret Realm to cultivate. Third through tenth place entered the Taixuan Secret Realm, and eleventh through thirtieth entered the Danhua Secret Realm.
Within the secret realms, all sorts of resources were provided in abundance, accompanied by corresponding escort guards. Members of the Yuanchu Secret Realm were even assigned a guard captain at the Eternal God level!
Beyond that, several Supremes and Eternal powerhouses in Zhouguang City held public lectures that genius disciples from all secret realms could attend. If someone caught their eye, there was even a chance to be taken on as a disciple by an Eternal or Supreme powerhouse!
Huang Tian had not participated in any Genius Battle, but because his talent was high enough and he was Sovereign Chuheng's disciple, he could naturally enter the Zhouguang Domain to cultivate. Not only that, Sovereign Chuheng had placed him directly into the Yuanchu Secret Realm, making him one of its genius disciples and granting him full access to its resources.
"Gu Po!" Sovereign Chuheng called out.
The next second, a burly man with golden-blond hair and beard, clad in shining silver armor, appeared before the two of them.
"Gu Po greets the great Sovereign!" Gu Po bowed respectfully, while his peripheral vision examined Huang Tian with curiosity, wondering why this mere Stellar-rank martial artist had the honor of accompanying the Sovereign.
"This is Huang Tian, a newly accepted personal disciple of mine. Guide him to the Yuanchu Secret Realm."
"Yes!" Gu Po's heart shuddered. A disciple! And a personal disciple at that!
Heavens! Sovereign Chuheng had not accepted a disciple in at least six hundred thousand epochs—not even a nominal disciple—yet now he had suddenly taken on a personal disciple who was only at the Stellar rank! Just what was this person's background?
While he was reeling in shock, Sovereign Chuheng looked at Huang Tian. "Follow Gu Po to settle down in the Yuanchu Secret Realm first. Afterward, I will summon you again to outline your future cultivation path. If any urgent matter arises in the meantime, you can seek me out through the Virtual Universe or inform Gu Po, and he will bring you to Zhouguang City."
"Disciple understands!" Huang Tian replied.
Sovereign Chuheng nodded slightly, and his form dissolved like smoke, vanishing from before them.
A few seconds after his departure, a warm, cordial smile appeared on Gu Po's face. With a wave of his hand, a deep-black spaceship manifested in the void. "Your Highness Huang Tian, please follow me."
"Your Highness" was the honorific title used for genius members of the three secret realms.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"You're too polite."
Gu Po smiled amiably and led Huang Tian inside. The spaceship engaged its external simulation, revealing countless stars and magnificent nebulae outside.
Immediately afterward, the spaceship trembled as its speed climbed higher and higher, eventually entering curvature flight—ten times the speed of light, a hundred times the speed of light...
Whoosh!
A dozen or so minutes later, the spaceship abruptly came to a halt above a floating island. Gu Po pointed at the external simulation screen. "This floating island spans twenty-seven thousand kilometers across and will be Your Highness's residence. On the island are manors, palaces, and so forth, along with tens of thousands of attendants. As for your escort captain, I am currently arranging the most suitable candidate for you, which should be finalized today."
"Thank you."
Swish!
The hatch slid open, and Gu Po and Huang Tian flew toward the floating island below. The attendants, having received word in advance, were already waiting respectfully. Seeing Huang Tian arrive alongside Gu Po, they knew their master had arrived and instantly prostrated themselves in unison, crying out as one:
"Greetings, Your Highness Huang Tian!"
Chapter 275