Published: March 2, 2025
The "dead star" mentioned by Bai is not a dead star in the conventional sense.
This planet is not dead like the earthworm world; it simply lacks an ecological system.
Apart from the soil and the omnipresent cosmic radiation, there is nothing else left.
However, compared to drifting aimlessly in the void, Victor was somewhat satisfied to have a place to land.
Given the conditions, no one could ask for more.
On a mountain on the planet, Tang Haofei punched a large cave into the rock, while Bai rummaged through his Spatial Ring.
After a moment, he retrieved a large pile of simplified rune formations—these were quite ordinary in function, primarily for altering the internal environment of the formation.
They were modified to be suitable for a few people to live in.
According to Bai's approach, it seemed that the three of them would likely settle here for the long term…
This might also be the purpose of Bai's existence as a clone; he needed to hold back Tang Haofei and Victor to prevent them from causing any trouble.
However, Victor didn’t mind this at all.
He was just curled up in the corner, thoroughly experiencing the new skills he had acquired.
This time, Victor's encounter was unusually powerful, and the changes he underwent were rare.
Understanding how to wield the authority of level twelve was a considerable test for him.
He needed time to digest what he had gained.
...
In the mountains, time flowed without marking years.
The once cave had long since been transformed into a palace—adorned with dragons and phoenixes, it was resplendent with gold and jade.
This was Bai’s handiwork; as a clone, he didn’t need to consider the growth of his strength.
Every day, he simply wandered around the living quarters of the three—two people and a cat, maintaining their home.
As for Victor and Tang Haofei, aside from their monthly necessary meetings, they were hidden deep within the palace, as if having completely vanished from the world.
Time flew by, and years passed.
In the blink of an eye, over four thousand years had gone by.
On this day, Bai was holding a carving knife, meticulously sculpting a stone block in front of him.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, as if he had received some news from a distant unknown source.
After a moment, Bai set down his carving knife and turned towards the palace.
“There's a letter.”
Bai cleared his throat, exerting considerable effort to utter these three words. His voice was soft, a whisper only he could hear, yet it unexpectedly triggered a reaction from within the palace.
Accompanied by the trembling of the palace, it seemed as though some colossal creature was about to awaken from inside, but first, a large, dark, elegant cat sprang forth.
The large cat leapt onto Bai’s shoulder in a few swift steps, and together they looked towards the palace.
They saw the soil in front of the palace suddenly crack open, and Tang Haofei’s head popped out of the ground with a whoosh…
"Although I don't know what kind of skill you're practicing that requires burying yourself, it certainly looks impressive."
At that moment, Victor and Bai’s expressions were likely conveying this sentiment.
Tang Haofei ignored Bai and Victor's astonishment, his face sporting an iconic silly grin as he quickly walked over to Bai.
“So… my main body… that side… sent you a letter?”
Tang Haofei's words flowed smoother and smoother, and by the end, he had returned to his former self.
Bai nodded and then squatted down to write a coordinate on the ground.
“It’s right here. According to the information from the main body, the Earth's level restraint has been broken by 98.68%. If we go there now, we should make it in time for the day the level restraint opens. I imagine both of you are eager for this, right?”
Tang Haofei nodded, a hint of emotion on his face.
The progress of the level restraint's fracture… was indeed very slow.
But it also indirectly proved that nothing major had happened on Earth.
Whether that was good or bad…