Chapter 1889: The Eerie Red Star

In the boundless deep space.

Seven white-clad figures shrouded in misty fog rose from the golden line of dawn on the Earth’s surface, sinking bit by bit into the depths of the universe.

Although the Seven Monarchs were powerful, their bodies were still human. Lu Xun could transform into starlight, and Chu Changqing could evolve organs that didn't require breathing, but the others couldn't survive in space for long. Qi Muyun had crafted exclusive weather-spheres for everyone, which not only supplied the oxygen needed for biological functions but also kept everyone awake through weak electrical signals between the cloud vapors.

"It really is heading straight for Earth..." Qi Muyun looked at the rapidly enlarging Red Star, his brows furrowed.

"This thing might truly have a consciousness of its own."

"It doesn't matter." Ji Xuan pinched his fingers, causing a series of crisp sounds, his eyes filled with absolute fighting spirit. "Whether it’s dead or alive, just destroy it, and that will be the end of it."

Lu Xun looked at him complexly. "Ji Xuan... in this plan, you are the core of everything..."

"Old Lu, you don't need to say it, I know." Ji Xuan waved his hand.

"Since we’re standing here, who didn't come with the determination to die?"

"It’s just a matter of who goes first and who goes later..."

"Leading the way for everyone is fine."

No one said anything more. Just as Ji Xuan said, since they were all standing here, they had already accepted all possible outcomes... From the very beginning, they hadn't intended to return alive.

"...Yeah." Lu Xun took a deep breath. "Then according to the plan, everyone be careful."

"Right."

The seven figures dispersed rapidly.

In the distant deep space, a massive scarlet meteor was rapidly approaching Earth.

This was the first time the Seven Monarchs had observed the Red Star from such a close distance.

At first glance, this meteor didn't seem any different from other celestial bodies in the universe. Its surface was rough and uneven, and there were even many places that looked like they had been hit hard or exploded—it could be said to be scarred and battered...

If one were to hold it between their fingertips like a marble and hold it up to the sun, one would find that light could pass through many places; it was already a broken, dilapidated wreck.

But if one observed carefully, one would find that in those broken gaps, there were earth-veins like blood vessels pulsing silently. Viewed from afar, the entire Red Star looked like an incomplete organism... or...

a beating heart.

"This is really evil..."

"Can this kind of thing really be considered a 'celestial body'?"

Ji Xuan’s muttering echoed in the weather-sphere.

The scarlet meteor approached before his eyes.

Although it was a meteor, its size was definitely not small. The scarlet color constantly enlarged in Ji Xuan’s pupils, and the uneven surface of the star was like a map magnified infinitely. All the ground details and earth-vein patterns expanded crazily toward Ji Xuan...

Ji Xuan suddenly had an illusion: was he waiting here for the Red Star to crash into him, or... was he falling from deep space toward another planet?

The scientific lab coat fluttered without wind in the deep space of the universe.

Ji Xuan’s figure was as small as dust before the Red Star.

Ji Xuan took a deep breath.

Then,

he slowly raised a finger.

Under his control, the Higgs boson disturbed rapidly. This "Hand of God," capable of bestowing mass upon all things, spread crazily in the deep space of the universe!

The authority of mass was wantonly manipulated by Ji Xuan, and the space he occupied was distorted by it. At the same time, he roared:

"Old Wu!!!"

A spiritual-void number pulsed crazily in the void!

【E=λ·mc^2】。

Due to the appearance of the spiritual-void number, the conversion efficiency of the mass-energy equation underwent a qualitative change: 120%, 150%, 200%...

As his own ability was amplified without limit, blood began to flow from Ji Xuan’s seven orifices. He stared fixedly at the rapidly enlarging scarlet star, his figure swayed, and he turned into a stream of light, falling rapidly toward the core of the earth!

The eerie storm that disturbed civilization swept crazily around the Red Star, but for the Seven Monarchs who were of the same origin, it couldn't cause much impact.

Ji Xuan’s body gradually disintegrated with the runaway Higgs boson, eventually turning into a tiny, distorted gravity cluster that disappeared on the surface of the Red Star...

A moment later,

hideous cracks began to spread across the surface of the Red Star.

……

"According to that, there is an absolute energy difference between us and the Red Star. Doesn't that mean no matter what method we use, we can't cause any essential impact on it?"

"Then how are we supposed to fight? Let’s just admit defeat and surrender."

A few days ago, in the tent, Ji Xuan, who had discussed until he was exhausted, lay on the ground, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

The other six monarchs also fell into silence.

Three days and three nights of discussion, countless plans proposed and rejected... to say there wasn't a hint of despair in everyone’s hearts would be a lie... They understood the power of the Red Star and their own insignificance; that was why they were in a deadlock.

But even though Ji Xuan said this, no one really wanted to admit defeat and surrender. In the end, they were just complaining about their own clumsiness and incompetence.

The silence lasted for a full ten minutes.

Finally, Su Zhiwei stood up slowly:

"...Regardless of anything else, let’s eat something first."

She took several packaging boxes out of her bag and handed them to the others. Everyone was already exhausted, and they intended to relax and clear their heads. They were slightly startled when they saw what was in the boxes.

"...Shortbread?"

"Yeah," Su Zhiwei nodded. "Yao Qing made them specifically for you all, and asked me to bring them over... He said that although he couldn't come himself, his heart was there."

Everyone opened the shortbread, and a fragrance drifted through the tent. They, who had become numb from the discussion, suddenly felt a long-lost sense of hunger.

Qi Muyun took a bite, his eyes lighting up. "Yao Qing’s skills really haven't diminished over the years..."

"It feels even better than back then."

"One bite, and it’s so flaky it crumbles... how on earth did he make it?"

“……”

The atmosphere in the tent was significantly more relaxed. Everyone spoke one after another, their words revealing their affection for Yao Qing.

Ji Xuan lay flat on the ground, raising his hand to play with the shortbread tiredly. The tent light shone on the shortbread, plating its edges with a rim of light... He held the two sides of the shortbread with two fingers, and with just a slight force, the biscuit broke from the center.

The outer shell of the shortbread was layered like cicada wings, blooming and loosening layer by layer along the break, like crushed golden foil cloud-fluff, falling onto Ji Xuan’s face.

Ji Xuan looked at the irregular break in the center of the shortbread and was slightly startled.

At this moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He sat up from the ground abruptly!

"...Ji Xuan, what’s wrong?" Yang Xiao asked in confusion.

"I have an idea." Ji Xuan held the shortbread he had broken in half, his eyes as bright as stars. "If our external force cannot cause much impact on the Red Star... then why don't we start directly from the Red Star’s body?"