175: Desperate Qinglan, Star River-level terror

The crisis seemed to have temporarily passed under Qinglan's self-detonation threat?

Venerable Hui Guang looked at her like this, killing intent boiling in his heart, yet he was wary of damaging the precious vessel... with a dark expression, he used a special method to send a distress signal to the Dominator of the distant divine kingdom.

One hundred-millionth of a second later, an indescribable will, seemingly originating from the very roots of the Universe, crossed endless time and space to descend here.

Just the passing of this will made the time and space of the entire Kunlun Galaxy seem to freeze!

The Souls of all living beings were trembling and kneeling!

A flat yet supremely majestic voice echoed simultaneously in the minds of the ten Venerables and Yun Qinglan, carrying a hint of... playfulness and curiosity?

"Oh? An Innate Radiant Body that can leave you all helpless? This deity... will come and see for himself..."

Dominator Huang Yu, his will had arrived in person!

The descent of that will was not a surge of energy, nor a tide of Laws.

It was a... higher level of life existence!

As if it had existed since eternity itself!

Like the cornerstone set at the beginning of the Universe, an iron Law that all things must follow!

When this will swept across the Kunlun Galaxy—

Time lost the meaning of flow, like solidified amber.

Space lost the possibility of extension, turning into an absolutely static canvas.

Energy, whether from a violent star or a weak bioelectric signal, stopped fluctuating at this moment, maintaining the posture of the previous instant.

Thought, even the Divine Thoughts of Galaxy Level Venerables and the consciousness of Star Arm Level powerhouses, were forcibly "frozen" at this moment, leaving only the most instinctive trembling and blankness in the face of a higher existence!

The entire galaxy, except for the will itself and the existences it allowed to "move," everything was put on pause.

This was not a Domain, nor a Divine Ability; this was... the Fusion of Laws! Its essence surpassed even the high-level Laws of Time, Space, and Karma!

The ten originally arrogant and overbearing Galaxy Level high-ranking Venerables humbly lowered their proud heads before this will.

Like the most submissive lambs, even their Souls were trembling slightly, expressing supreme awe!!

And Yun Qinglan, bound by golden chains, who had just forced back the ten Venerables with the threat of self-detonation, her aura—the remnant of her burned Origin, like a flickering candle in the wind—was also forcibly "solidified" by this will in a state of being neither extinguished nor fully lit.

She tried to struggle, tried to trigger that determination to perish together again, but found that she couldn't even form a complete thought!

It was an absolute, despair-inducing control!

The master of the will had not even truly appeared; just a "gaze" cast across the endless sea of stars had already dominated everything!

Then, that flat yet supreme voice, seemingly containing the birth and death of star rivers and the rotation of eras, rang out within the range allowed to "hear":

"Brilliant Light."

With just two words, Venerable Hui Guang felt his Law Origin resonating and responding!

He became even more humble, using Divine Thought to transmit everything that had just happened without reservation—including Yun Qinglan's stubbornness, her death threat, and the incredibly vast network of Chen Clan female Bloodlines containing countless layers of mother-daughter and grandmother-granddaughter relationships.

The exchange of information was completed within a trillionth of a second.

"Oh?" That will seemed to stir with an imperceptible ripple, like a speck of dust falling onto the surface of a motionless well.

Then, the master of the will's indescribable "gaze" fell upon the imprisoned Yun Qinglan.

"Using death as a threat? To protect your clansmen?" Huang Yu's voice carried a hint of playfulness, as if discovering an interesting toy. "Indeed... stubborn."

"Pity."

The moment his words fell—

The frozen time and space around Yun Qinglan suddenly changed!

It wasn't an impact of energy, nor a suppression by Laws.

It was a kind of... "negation"!

Negating the "unstable" and "self-detonating" attributes of the imprisoned Radiant Body Origin nearing the brink of explosion within her!

Negating the existence of any "energy transmission" or "Law linkage" pathways in the space around her!

Negating her will's ability to perform any "unauthorized" "operations" on her own Origin!

Like a high-level administrator directly modifying the code!

Yun Qinglan's tragic and resolute gaze instantly solidified, replaced by an unprecedented, Soul-deep daze and emptiness!

She felt as if she had become a bystander, a Puppet stripped of all control!

She "watched" as her Radiant Body Origin, which was boiling, compressing, and about to bloom with the beauty of destruction, was gently smoothed over by an invisible giant hand; all unstable factors were instantly erased, becoming submissive and silent, as if they had never been triggered.

She "watched" as the exquisite Law of Space she controlled around her body was forcibly stripped away and isolated, no longer able to be sensed or mobilized in the slightest.

She couldn't even fully form the thought of "self-detonation"!

Every time this thought appeared, it would be directly "erased" and "formatted" by an invisible force!

What power is this?!!!

This has completely exceeded her scope of understanding of power and Laws!!!

This is not a contest on the same dimension at all!!!

Seeing the transition in Yun Qinglan's eyes from resolution to daze, and then to an uncontrollable hint of horror stemming from life's instinct, the will of Huang Yu, cast across the sea of stars, seemed to ripple with a trace of satisfaction.

"Now," that supreme voice rang out again, carrying a matter-of-fact judgment:

"You can put away this little temper of yours."

Yun Qinglan's body could not move, but her Soul was roaring silently, trembling!

For the first time, she felt so clearly what absolute powerlessness was!

What the despair of an ant facing the heavens was!

All her reliance, all her resolution, in the other's eyes, was truly just... "little temper"?!

"Innate Radiant Body, indeed rare."

"According to what this deity knows from high-level ancient civilization ruins, in the 100-billion-year Reincarnation of the Liuli System, one might not necessarily be born. Your appearance can be considered a small miracle of this Star Domain."

His words were like charity, carrying a kind of condescending pity.

"But—"

His tone suddenly shifted, adding a hint of cold and cruel reality:

"My appearance! A Star River Level existence is even rarer!"

"Ancient ruins record that out of a hundred Innate Radiant Bodies, even after spending their entire lives, not even one might necessarily awaken an Acquired Venerable Body, break the barrier, and step into the Star River!"

"Why?"

He did not wait for an answer but asked and answered himself, his voice like cold stars colliding, smashing into the depths of the Soul of every living being that could "hear":

"From the gap in Lifespan alone, one can catch a glimpse! At the Galaxy Level Peak, the Lifespan is only ten million years! But at the Star River Level..."

Huang Yu's voice for the first time carried a majesty belonging to himself, looking down upon the sea of stars:

"Lifespan, one enjoys a hundred billion years of Lifespan!"

"This is an absolute chasm in the essence of life! A complete leap in the level of existence!"

"More importantly—" His tone carried a hint of indifference toward the "poverty" of this Star Domain:

"A common galaxy, its Origin, its resources, and its Law concentration are simply not enough to support a Galaxy Level Peak in completing that final transformation! Just as shallow water cannot raise a true Dragon!"

"You," his will focused on Yun Qinglan again, carrying an assertion as if seeing through her future:

"Without a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, without the full cultivation of a high-level civilization, throughout your entire life, reaching the Galaxy Level Peak would already be the limit. Wanting to Breakthrough to the Star River? Wishful thinking!"

These words were like the most vicious curse, yet also like the coldest reality, fiercely shattering the sliver of longing for the future deep within Yun Qinglan's heart—perhaps a sliver she herself hadn't clearly realized.

Aptitude does not represent everything.

Resources, environment, the foundation of a civilization... these are equally vital!

And the Federation she was in, even the Liuli System which was more than a hundred million times larger, in the other's eyes, was merely "shallow water"!

"So," Huang Yu's voice returned to that all-controlling flatness, even carrying a hint as if "bestowing a favor":

"Follow this deity back obediently."

"Behave well. Put away your pointless resolution and death wish."

"If you can make this deity happy and let you be a concubine, granting you the future resources of the Yaoqiong Divine Kingdom, perhaps... you still have a slim chance of glimpsing the Star River Realm."

"If you perform well, it's not impossible to promote you to a primary wife in the future."

He paused deliberately, as if he had bestowed a heavenly favor.

However, deep within Yun Qinglan's imprisoned eyes, the fire of her Soul, forcibly suppressed but impossible to completely extinguish, conveyed not gratitude or submission, but... the gray ashes of dead silence, and deep within those ashes, an unyielding coldness!!!

She would rather her form and Soul be destroyed than suffer such humiliation!!!!!

Seemingly sensing her bone-deep death wish and defiance, within Huang Yu's will, for the first time, there appeared a trace of... imperceptible displeasure?

"Stubborn."

Those cold words were like a final judgment.

In the next moment, an even more eerie and irresistible power acted upon Yun Qinglan!

This was not a physical restraint, nor an energy Seal, nor a suppression by Law.

It was... a forced definition of her "Form of Existence"!

Huang Yu's will, like a Creator with Supreme Authority, began to directly "modify" Yun Qinglan's "reality"!

The first thing to be defined was her "posture."

Her spine, which had remained subconsciously straight even while imprisoned, was forcibly bent by an invisible force, freezing her in mid-air in an extremely humiliating pose, as if she were ready to kneel and kowtow at any moment!

Next was her exquisite face.

Her face, cold as ice and filled with defiance and dead silence, was forcibly "sculpted" into a submissive, downcast expression! As if she had willingly surrendered!

This was no illusion; it was a direct distortion of her facial muscles and nerves from the level of reality, fixing them into this appearance!

Then, it was her spotless white dress.

The style of the white dress began to twist and change, becoming thinner and more revealing, and the hem was even forcibly branded with the flame insignia of the Yaoqiong Divine Kingdom, a symbol of a servant! It was like a brand of humiliation!

It wasn't over yet!

Huang Yu's will began to delve into the level of her "cognition"!

A domineering torrent of information containing Star River Level Laws was forcibly poured into her Sea of Consciousness!

It was about the "rules" of the Yaoqiong Divine Kingdom, the "etiquette" of how to "serve" the Dominator, and her "duty" as a "concubine"... This information, like the most malicious virus, frantically assaulted and polluted her original consciousness and memories, attempting to fundamentally twist her will and make her identify with her "new identity" from the depths of her Soul!

"Ugh—!!!"

Yun Qinglan's Soul let out a silent but extremely shrill scream!

She could clearly "feel" her dignity being trampled inch by inch, her will being forcibly twisted, and her existence being redefined as a... plaything! A servant!

This humiliation of forced "remodeling" at the Soul level was millions of times more painful than physical torture or the destruction of her form and Soul!!!

She resisted desperately, using the extremely resilient Divine Soul Origin of her Innate Radiant Body to stubbornly guard the inextinguishable spark of light in the deepest part of her consciousness—the ego that belonged to "Yun Qinglan," her heart that yearned for and protected her father, her family, and the Federation!

But this resistance appeared so pale and powerless before the absolute power of the Star River Level... She "watched" as her body uncontrollably assumed a humiliating posture.

She "felt" her face showing a submissive expression against her will.

She "perceived" her dress being forcibly branded as a servant's.

She "endured" her consciousness being frantically indoctrinated with filthy rules... Extreme humiliation and rage exploded in the depths of her Soul like a cosmic singularity, yet they could not be vented in the slightest, only transforming into deeper, bone-deep pain and despair!

Watching Yun Qinglan's body involuntarily assume a humiliating posture and her face forcibly show a submissive expression under the invisible power of "definition."

Despite the inextinguishable pain and struggle still burning deep in her eyes, Huang Yu's will finally seemed to feel a trace of "satisfaction."

This was the effect he wanted!

Destroy her pride!

Trample her dignity!

Twist her will!

Yet he refused to let her die, forcing her to clearly feel it all!!!

Only a "toy" "polished" like this would be more interesting to play with, wouldn't it?

"Now, you look the part," Huang Yu commented indifferently, as if admiring a work of art that had just finished its initial sculpting.

"As for these..."

His will, like an invisible giant hand, swept over the massive "Composite Cage" below, composed of countless Chen family women.

Within it were sealed everyone from Lin Wei, Yun Xi, and Yue Hua... to Chen Xi, Su Yuan... to Chen Yuanmeng, Chen Yuan Yan... to countless women of the "Yan," "Si," and "Chang" generations... down to the even younger generations of the Chen family, as well as their daughters-in-Law from other families, numbering over two trillion!

They were like specimens frozen in time, maintaining expressions of terror, anger, and despair, forming this tragic and humiliating "Bloodline Map," a rare sight in the sea of stars.

"Take them all back. You have sworn the Law Oaths, which even I cannot modify. Someone will come to transport these 'goods' shortly."

"During the celebration, let the guests observe what kind of 'wondrous sights' can be bred within these 'shallow waters'."

"Mothers and daughters on the same stage, grandmothers and granddaughters side by side... surely, it will add much... refined interest to my celebration."

His words, like the coldest wind, swept through the depths of every imprisoned female Soul!

They could "hear"!

They could "understand" the appalling desecration and cruelty contained in those words!

But they could not move!

They couldn't even shed tears to express their anger!

They could only lock their endless humiliation and despair deep within their frozen bodies and consciousness!

In Lin Wei's ice sculpture, her gaze was frozen toward the Chen Jun Manor, filled with heart-wrenching worry and powerlessness... Yun Xi's ice sculpture maintained the dignity of a leader, yet could not hide the sorrow of a trampled civilization deep in her eyes... Chen Yuanmeng's ice sculpture still bore the last trace of concern for her husband Luo Mie and her son Luo Xing... Chen Yuan Yan's ice sculpture, her fiery temper forcibly frozen, leaving only the silent fire of indignation burning beneath the ice... nearly a thousand pearls of the "Yuan" generation... countless descendants of the "Yan," "Si," and "Chang" generations... Their lives had only just begun, their dreams had yet to bloom, before they were heartlessly frozen and labeled as "playthings" and "exhibits"!

And the layered relationships of mother-daughter and grandmother-granddaughter between them had actually become the most "interesting" and "worthwhile" "collection highlights" in the enemy's eyes?!

Venerable Hui Guang bowed and took the order: "I shall obey the Dominator's decree!"

Yun Qinglan was separated individually and placed under the personal supervision of Venerable Hui Guang.

She still maintained that humiliating posture, wearing the forcibly modified dress, with that submissive expression against her will... Only deep within her eyes, which were forcibly defined yet unable to completely extinguish their spiritual light, was reflected the most extreme humiliation in the sea of stars suffered by her entire clan!!!

She watched her mother Yun Xi's ice sculpture pass before her eyes... watched the sealed indignant faces of her sisters Xuan Sha, Yue Xi, Su Yuan, and Liu Qing... watched the frozen tear stains of her nieces Chen Yuanmeng and Chen Yuanxue... watched the terrified gazes of countless juniors whose names she could not call but who were connected by blood... watched that heart-wrenchingly massive "Cage Star" once again composed of countless relatives... Every scene was like a red-hot iron, searing her Soul!

Pain! Pain! Pain!!!

Indescribable pain!!!!!

Hate! Hate! Hate!!!

Hatred that even exhausting the Star River could not wash away!!!!!

But she... was deprived of even the right to close her eyes and escape this cruel reality!!!

Huang Yu's will, like watching a carefully choreographed play, "watched" all of this indifferently.

He saw the inextinguishable pain and hatred in Yun Qinglan's eyes, but this did not displease him; instead, it made him feel... even more interested.

"Do you hate me?"

That supreme voice sounded again individually in Yun Qinglan's mind, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Remember this hatred."

"But remember even more, who was it that granted you the qualification to still 'hate'?"

"It was I, who forgave your disrespect and bestowed upon you the Opportunity to serve."

"Cherish this... grace well!"