251: Chapter 251 Recruitment

"So your name is Little Guy, how cute..."

Xing Yaoyan did not answer him directly. Instead, she brought the black furball in her hand up to her eyes and gently smoothed its bristling fur with her other hand.

In Yun Lan's eyes, this behavior was the very image of a ruthless, high-level villain.

"I can let it go, but who can guarantee that after I release it, you won't use your life as a threat to make me let you go?"

Xing Yaoyan intentionally lowered her voice, speaking in a teasing tone.

"Besides, do you think I'd be held hostage by this? Do you think I haven't left any other backups? Look, behind that street lamp, on the house behind you, under your feet, in the sky... they are all my people..."

Yun Lan's nerves were stretched to the limit. Every time Xing Yaoyan mentioned a location, his head would involuntarily turn toward it.

Seeing his nervous state, Xing Yaoyan kept her lips pressed tight, fearing she might accidentally burst into laughter.

"Sigh... forget it..." As the pressure reached its peak, the young man in front of her finally deflated completely.

He lowered the hand he had pressed against his heart, and the dice in his hand dissipated. He slumped against the wall and slid to the ground, looking utterly desperate.

"Hey-ho! Hey-ho!"

The Little Guy in Xing Yaoyan's hand struck her fingers vigorously, letting out excited cries; it seemed to be angry at his surrender.

"I'm sorry, Little Guy, any resistance is futile... I give in..."

The young man lowered his head, burying his face in the shadows as his body began to tremble slightly.

He really gives in? Hmph... It seems there is still a lot of resentment in your heart...

Xing Yaoyan slowly walked toward him.

A massive shadow loomed over Yun Lan, but he made no move, as if he were ready to face his final end.

Dad, Mom, Brother, I might not be able to avenge you after all. They were right, I am the most useless one among us... Why did you leave the only chance of survival to me? Why didn't you leave it to my brother? He was clearly the strongest one...

Tears rolled down the young man's cheeks.

He had once sworn never to shed tears again, but at this critical juncture, overwhelmed by deep resentment and fear, he could not hold them back anymore.

"Hey-ho..."

His shoulder suddenly felt slightly heavy, and a ticklish sensation brushed against his face.

"Huh?"

Yun Lan turned his head, eyes brimming with tears, and saw the Little Guy affectionately nuzzling his cheek, as if trying to wipe away his tears.

"They say Star Beasts are pests, yet in the end, it's a Star Beast that stays by my side to see me off. How ironic..."

Yun Lan shook his head with a bitter smile, then looked up at the white-haired woman whose face he couldn't clearly see, revealing a look of resignation.

"Thank you for letting it go... Come on, take whatever you want from me. I won't resist."

The most precious things about a Star Gazer are their Soul and their eyes; the other party must be here for that...

His thoughts drifted back to that night when he finally accepted the Legacy from the voice in his mind, formally becoming a Star Gazer and achieving a Breakthrough to the fourth stage.

He had come tonight to track the Star Beasts he had seen before, only to find this 'Little Guy' he was most familiar with. During his communication with it, the unique Qi he inadvertently emitted was caught by this mysterious person, leading to his current predicament.

Everything is fate...

But just as he closed his eyes, hoping his death wouldn't be too painful, a voice echoed in his mind:

"Do you want power?"

"What... aren't you here to capture me?" Yun Lan opened his eyes and looked up in astonishment.

"Do you know about the Star Cult? I am the tenth seat priest of the Star Cult—Qiming. I can give you the power to exact your revenge..."

As she spoke, a faint golden light radiated from Xing Yaoyan's right hand, and a Star Soul with three or four Four Marks fluctuations appeared in her palm.

"This is... a 'living' Star Soul, how is that possible..."

Star Gazers can perfectly undergo Fusion with Star Souls, but only by fusing with a conscious, 'living' Star Soul can they best display their strength...

Before this, he had only seen a living Star Soul when his father helped his brother become a Star Gazer, but back then, the Star Beast was dying, and it wasn't held in someone's hand like this...

In his impression, the Star Cult's Star Souls were all unconscious, and even if they were conscious, it would be impossible for them to float so obediently in someone's palm like this.

"Could it be... that you are also a Star Gazer..." Yun Lan stammered.

"No, I am not a Star Gazer. However, just tell me if you want it or not."

As Xing Yaoyan finished speaking, several more powerful Star Souls appeared in her hand, shocking Yun Lan once again.

"Are you asking me to join the Star Cult? If I join, are these all mine?" Yun Lan swallowed hard.

"You're overthinking it. If you dared to refuse, I would kill you on the spot. After you agree and accept my Breath of the Abyss, I will only let you open your mind to connect with them. Only if you are recognized by them can you choose to combine with one of their Star Souls."

A purple mist appeared in her other hand. This was the Breath of the Abyss that the Star Cult Leader had ordered her to implant into Star Gazers.

However, relying on her own understanding of the Breath of the Abyss, she had secretly tampered with it. She kept the Star Cult Leader's right to know, but bound the control to herself.

As for why one could only choose one Star Soul, it was because when a Star Gazer and a Star Soul combine, only when both recognize each other can they unleash their maximum potential.

Moreover, each Star Gazer can generally only combine with one Star Soul; the other Star Souls obtained would at best only be food for their original Star Soul.

Xing Yaoyan couldn't bear to let her tenants be eaten.

"Hehe, hahaha..."

Feeling the extremely evil aura within the purple mist, Yun Lan suddenly burst into laughter.

"Since the day I began carrying this hatred, I have been running away... I changed my name, I constantly suppressed the Bloodline within me, just so I wouldn't end up like my family..."

"Later, after sensing the enemy's aura, I realized I still couldn't let go of the hatred in my heart. I wanted to become stronger! But back then, I only thought of doing so as a normal Esper, not as that damned Star Gazer..."

"But I soon realized that if I blindly suppressed my Star Gazer Bloodline, I would never achieve a Breakthrough to the fourth stage... And just that night when a vision appeared in the night sky, I could no longer suppress the impact of my Bloodline. And I finally didn't have to live in fear like before..."

The young man took a deep breath, then stared intently at the purple mist in Xing Yaoyan's hand and slowly extended his palm.

"Since I have accepted the identity of a Star Gazer, I will completely bid farewell to my previous stable life... Thank you for letting me know how insignificant I am. So, since you have given me this opportunity, I must absolutely seize it!"