177: [Duoyi] Activate!!!

When those ten terrifying presences, like cosmic explosions yet carrying absolute icy malice, violently tore through the peaceful starlit curtain of the Kunlun Star System—

Chen Jun was slumped in his familiar lounge chair, drinking tea.

At the exact same moment those ten presences descended.

The keen perception of 'beneficial status fluctuations' granted to him by the [Multiple Benefits] function felt like it had sensed the furnace of a billion stars, with an intensity never seen before!

It wasn't just one or two powerful presences.

It was ten!

The total volume and quality of 'beneficial status' fluctuations contained in each presence far exceeded any of his past understanding!

Especially when compared to the cold and resilient 'beneficial status' fluctuations of his own daughter, Qinglan, in his perception... any one of these ten presences felt... stronger than Qinglan to Chen Jun!

Chen Jun's body suddenly stiffened, the jade cup in his hand shattered, and the warm tea fell, splashing onto his casual clothes.

In a ten-thousandth of a second, his face lost all color, becoming like the coldest permafrost glacier on Kunlun Star.

They're here!

They still came!

And with such a terrifying lineup!

Ten... each one an existence stronger than Qinglan?!

His brain even went blank for a moment; a primitive fear originating from biological instinct, like the cold vacuum of space, instantly gripped his heart, making it almost impossible to breathe!

It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated a crisis.

'Steady development' and the 'Art of Laying Low' were established exactly for this!

But he never expected the crisis to come so quickly!

And so fiercely!

So fierce that it exceeded his limits, and likely even the limits of what Qinglan could handle!

Next, through the perception of [Multiple Benefits] and the undisguised malice and pressure of those ten figures transmitted simultaneously via the virtual universe... Chen Jun 'saw' it.

He 'saw' Venerable Lei Fa flick his finger, and the Federation's strongest 'Nine-Layer Star Ring' shield was annihilated like paper... He 'saw' Qinglan forced to appear, her slender figure standing between the planet and those ten terrifying existences!

He 'saw' the pale gold blood seeping from the corner of Qinglan's mouth; clearly, in a place he hadn't seen, his daughter had already exchanged blows with them!

He 'saw' her cold eyes reveal, for the first time, an unconcealable... gravity and resolve!

"Qinglan... my daughter..."

An extremely faint whimper, like that of a wounded beast and audible only to himself, escaped Chen Jun's throat.

He wanted to rush out!

He wanted to stand by his daughter's side!

Even if only as a useless father, using this seemingly strong but actually mundane body to block even a tiny bit of the aftershocks for her!

But—

He couldn't!

The moment those ten presences descended, an invisible pressure as vast as a sea of stars had already shrouded the entire Pillar of Leaders and the manor where he was, like the heaviest of shackles!

This wasn't targeted at him alone.

This was the pressure emitted by those ten terrifying existences targeting everyone!

Under this Domain, outside the manor, Li Qingshan and Zhou Zhenshan were like insects frozen in amber, their expressions fixed in a mix of shock and rage, yet unable to move even a finger.

Chu Yueyao, Mo Heng, Shi Yue, and all the other Stellar Level high-ranking officials on the Pillar of Leaders square were suppressed into immobile statues!

And what about Chen Jun?

His powerful physique, built up with massive resources to be strong enough to crush a War God Peak, was inferior even to those Planetary Levels in the face of this Galaxy Level pressure!

He felt every inch of his bones wailing, and every drop of his blood almost solidifying!

Forget rushing out; he couldn't even stand up from this damn, incredibly comfortable lounge chair!!!

He could only slump there!

Like the most incompetent waste!

Like a weakling who had been carefully raised, only to wait helplessly when the butcher's knife falls!

Powerless!

The extreme sense of powerlessness, like a billion cold needles, stabbed deep into his Soul!!!

He could only learn of the tragedy occurring outside that made his heart and gall burst through the virtual universe and the [Multiple Benefits] perception, with those malicious locks sticking to him like maggots on a bone!

Because of the beneficial perception effect of [Multiple Benefits], he 'saw' more clearly than anyone else!

He 'saw' Venerable Bing Po strike, and Su Yuan, Yue Xi, Xuan Sha, and Liu Qing—his four proud daughters who were already at the Star Arm Level Peak—were frozen into cold statues before they could even offer a hint of resistance!

He 'saw' Venerable Lei Fa's giant net sweep away Chen Xi, Chen Yao, and seven other daughters, along with those four ice sculptures, like catching fish and shrimp!

"No!!!... My children..." Chen Jun's lips moved soundlessly, his fingernails sinking deep into his palms from extreme force, piercing the skin... Crimson blood seeped through his fingers, dripping onto the armrest of the expensive lounge chair, but he was completely oblivious... Pain, like poisonous vines, frantically coiled around and tightened its grip on his heart!!!

Next was Yun Xi!

His wife in a certain sense, the leader of the Federation, appeared to stop them, only to be dragged away by Venerable An Ying like bound prey!

"Yun Xi!!!" Chen Jun roared soundlessly in his heart, his eyeballs bloodshot and covered in terrifying veins.

Then, it was Yue Hua, Xuanji, Su Yao, Liu Ruyan... his four wives who were not wives in a certain sense; they couldn't even say a word before following in their daughters' footsteps, being frozen and put on display!

"Beasts! You bunch of beasts!!!" His Soul was trembling, weeping blood!

And it wasn't over yet!!!

Those ten greedy and cold Divine Senses, like combs, swept over the core area of the Chen Clan again and again.

Next, he 'saw' Lin Wei, his wife who had shared trials and tribulations with him, being targeted and frozen by that icy cold tide because she was the biological mother of five of those daughters!!!

Weiwei...!!!

His Weiwei, who was as gentle as water, who always worried about his health and tried to stop him from 'working hard'...!!!

Chen Jun felt as if his heart was being violently grabbed by an invisible giant hand and then crushed!

The pain was so great he almost fainted!!!

He 'saw' those nearly one thousand great-granddaughters of the 'Yuan' generation—the pearls of the Federation, the pride of the Chen Clan—being sealed together in a massive composite ice crystal cage amidst anger and resentment!

He 'saw' his great-granddaughter Chen Yuanmeng, the one who had married Luo Mie and found happiness, her face frozen with worry for her husband and son as she was heartlessly dragged into that cold cage!

He 'saw' the fiery temper of his great-granddaughter Chen Yuan Yan being forcibly frozen, leaving only a silent rage burning beneath the ice!

He 'saw' his grandson Chen Zhaojing explode with power, charging into the sky like a demon in an attempt to save his hundred wives, only to be swatted down by a casual strike from Venerable Hou Tu like a fly, crashing into a deep pit with his life or death unknown!

"Zhao Jing!!! My precious grandson!" Chen Jun's body trembled violently, not from fear!

But!

From extreme anger and heartache!!!

He 'saw' his great-grandson Chen Yuanhai rush out from a secret chamber, trying to use his meager Dream Law to interfere... only to suffer a Soul backlash, bleeding from his seven orifices as he watched his mother, wife, and daughter being dragged away, collapsing to the ground as if his Soul had been sucked out!!!

"Yuan Hai...!!!"

Chen Jun's teeth chattered, and his mouth was filled with the taste of blood—it was from his own gums, which he had bitten through!

What followed was... plunder!

Plunder without any bottom line!!!

Spanning several generations, over two trillion Chen Clan females, along with their daughters-in-Law from other families!

Like the most precious collectibles in the Universe, they were imprisoned and sealed one by one in various humiliating ways by those ten Galaxy Level high-ranking venerables...!!!

Those scenes of his kin being abducted were like the most cruel brands, deeply seared onto his retinas and into his Soul!!!

His wives!!!

His daughters!!!

His great-granddaughters!!!

His countless female descendants whose names he couldn't call out but who were connected by blood!!!

What did they do wrong?!!!

Why should they have to endure such humiliation?!!!

Just because they carry the blood of Chen Jun?!!!

Just because they have extraordinary Aptitude and outstanding looks?!!!

Just because these pieces of trash from higher-level civilizations view them as playthings, as 'resources' that can be plundered at will?!!!

"Ah—!!!"

A silent roar, suppressed to the extreme and seemingly from the deepest part of his Soul, crashed frantically within Chen Jun's chest!!!

Yet it couldn't break through the lock of that Galaxy Level pressure; it could only echo repeatedly within his body, shaking his internal organs until they almost shifted out of place!!!

His eyes were as red as blood!!!

Tears... however, would not flow... as if evaporated by that extreme anger and pain!

He slumped in the chair like a statue that had lost all Life Qi... only his violently heaving chest and the fire burning in his eyes, enough to incinerate a sea of stars, proved that he was still a living person enduring purgatory-like torture!!!

Hate! Hate! Hate!

A hatred that even the pouring of the entire galaxy could not wash away!!!

He hated these high and mighty invaders who viewed all living beings as ants!!!

He hated himself even more for only being able to watch helplessly as his kin were trampled upon like this!!!

He hated how he could only slump here like a piece of waste!!!

To think he couldn't even let out a single roar of anger?!!!

"System... System!!!" He called out frantically in his mind, hoping that the System which brought miracles could give him a hint of a response, a hint of hope at this moment.

However, the System interface still just floated coldly in his thoughts.

There was no change... no hidden mission triggered by his extreme pain... no early upgrade due to the civilization's peril... it was like an absolutely rational machine that only followed set rules, indifferently watching his despair!!!

Hope seemed to be completely severed at this moment!!!!!

Just as Chen Jun's consciousness was about to be swallowed by endless pain and despair—

Those ten Galaxy Level beasts, after completing their appalling plunder of nearly a thousand Chen Clan females of the 'Yuan' generation, were still not satisfied!!!

Their Divine Senses, like greedy tentacles, began to spread toward the outer reaches of the Chen Clan, toward those areas with lower seniority but a far larger population base!

Their targets were locked on—

The 'Yan' generation! The 'Si' generation!... all the way to the 'Ze' generation that had just begun to flourish!

The population of these generations was measured in the trillions!

Although their individual strength was relatively weak, and many were still underage children, they were the future of the Chen Clan, the most flourishing branches and leaves in the Bloodline network!

And the first to suffer were those closest to these female descendants... the Chen Clan's male descendants!

The [Kin Source] rule, which in the past only displayed beautiful unity... at this moment, also revealed its cruel other side...

It wasn't just a natural affinity and goodwill, but an instinct originating from the depths of the Bloodline to protect one's kin at all costs!

When the shadow tentacles, cold-wave ice crystals, and lightning nets of those Galaxy Level Venerables reached out toward their mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives—

A tragic and heroic scene unfolded!

"Let go of my mother!!!"

A youth of the "Yan" generation, with a cultivation level only at the War God Level, found it difficult even to stand when facing that pressure as vast as a sea of stars!

But seeing his mother about to be swept away by a shadow tentacle, he let out a beast-like roar and burned his entire life Origin!!!

Like a moth to a flame, he threw himself toward that shadow without a second thought!!!

"Pfft—!"

Like a bubble bursting.

His body, along with his burning Soul, turned into the most basic particles and dissipated into nothingness the moment he touched the shadow.

He couldn't even make that shadow tentacle pause for a billionth of a second.

But he did it!

With his tiny life, he voiced the most resolute protest!!!

..."Sister! Run!!!"

Another youth of the "Si" generation clung desperately to an ice crystal fragment formed from the energy aftermath of a Galaxy Level Venerable, trying to buy even a sliver of time for his terrified sister behind him to escape!!!

The ice crystals instantly spread, freezing him along with his futile efforts before shattering into ice dust that filled the sky... "I'll fight you to the death!!!"

A junior of the "Chang" generation with an Innate Star Body roared as he detonated his Stellar Level energy core, attempting to use self-detonation to block the Cage of Light reaching for his wife and daughter!!!

The light of the explosion was like a firefly; before the high-tier Galaxy Level Law, it couldn't even stir a single ripple before being completely smoothed over and annihilated!!!

...Similar scenes were playing out frantically in every corner of Kunlun Star, beside those female relatives being seized!!!

Knowing full well it was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage!

Knowing full well it was a futile death!!!

But driven by the Soul-deep bond of the [Kin Source] rule, and the instinct to protect their kin!

Countless male descendants of the Chen Clan chose the most tragic and heroic path, using their lives and blood to fulfill the "protection" within their Bloodline!!!

They might have had low cultivation levels or been unknown within the Family!

But at this moment of their loved ones' humiliation, they erupted with their final dignity as Chen Clan men, as sons, brothers, fathers, husbands, grandfathers, grandsons...!!!!!

Those fires of life, blooming and then instantly vanishing, those cries of despair and resolution, were like the most tragic elegy!!!

Through the virtual universe, they were transmitted into the eyes, ears, and hearts of every Federation citizen!!!

They also reached Chen Jun, who lay paralyzed on his lounge chair, his eyes nearly bursting with rage!!!

He "watched" those juniors whose names he might not even know, like moths to a flame, using their tiny lives to strike against that desperate darkness.

He "felt" the instant blooming and extinguishing of their life auras!

The disappearance of every aura was like a heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly against his heart!!!

Pain! Pain! Pain!!

It hurt too much!!!

An indescribable pain!!!!!

That was his Bloodline!

They were his descendants!

They were the boys of the Family that he, Chen Jun, had painstakingly propagated and raised!

They should have had bright futures, should have continued to expand the Family tree, and should have enjoyed this era of peace!

Now, because of the greed of these invaders and the "incompetence" of him, their Old Ancestor, they were being harvested like weeds! Crushed!!!

"Children... my children..." Chen Jun's body curled up from the extreme pain, a wheezing sound like a bellows coming from his throat.

How he wanted to tell them:

Don't! Don't throw your lives away! Live! As long as you live, there is still hope!!!

But he couldn't make a sound... even the right to shed a single tear for them was stripped away by that omnipresent pressure!!!

He could only lie on this damned lounge chair like the most useless bystander, watching his Bloodline descendants die one after another to protect their kin!

This pain was far worse than death by a thousand cuts! Hotter than Hell!

Just as this endless grief, indignation, and despair were about to tear Chen Jun's Soul apart!!!

An incredibly powerful force flowed into his limbs and bones!

It was only then that he discovered—

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

...The System notification sound, which only he could perceive, had already streaked through the endless darkness like a meteor across the night sky, time and time again!

[Host's descendant death detected.]

[Name]: Chen Yanwu.

[Age at Death]: 87 years old.

[Aptitude at Death]: Acquired Star Body.

[Cultivation at Death]: Planet-level Peak.

[Cause of Death]: To protect his mother, Chen Yuanlu, he forcibly charged into the aftermath of high-tier Galaxy Level Laws, resulting in total annihilation of body and Soul.

[Multiple Benefits function triggered! Conceptual Skill activating...]

[Beginning to inherit beneficial state gains; gains are conceptual numerical stacks...]

[Inheritance complete!]

[Obtained: All cultivation energy (Planet-level Peak)!]

[Obtained: Aptitude talent (Acquired Star Body)!]

[Obtained: Cultivation Technique insights ("Chen Family Energy Guiding Method", "Chen Family Battle Art"...)!]

[Obtained: Combat experience (87 years of accumulation)!]

...[All gains have been perfectly concealed, isolated from all detection, and will never be displayed externally.]

[Rule Supplement]: Gain acquisition has no distance limit, ignores all forms of shielding and obstruction, and is transmitted directly based on Bloodline.

[Ding! Host's Aptitude has been updated!]

[Current Aptitude]: 10x Innate Martial Body!

[Note: All Aptitudes are conceptual numerical stacks. Aptitude Ranking: Innate Martial Body (1x standard) → Acquired Star Body (10x) → Innate Star Body (100x) → Acquired Moon Body (1000x) → Innate Moon Body (10000x) → Acquired Sun Body (100,000x) → Innate Sun Body (1,000,000x)...]

[Current Cultivation]: Planet-level Peak!

...[Host's descendant death detected.]

[Name]: Chen Changming... [Ding! Host's Aptitude has been updated!]

[Current Aptitude]: 110x Innate Martial Body! → 1.1x Innate Star Body!

[Current Cultivation]: Planet-level Peak! → Low-tier Stellar Level!

...Streams of pure, majestic warmth, like a bursting river of stars, crashed into Chen Jun's limbs and bones, washing through his Meridians and nourishing his Soul!

The first stream of warmth fused the eighty-seven years of hard cultivation, a lifetime of Battle Intent, and the deepest love and protection for his mother from that great-great-grandson named Chen Yanwu into one, pouring it unreservedly into the body of his Old Ancestor!

Even memories counted as beneficial gains!

Chen Jun felt the pain Chen Yanwu experienced before death as if it were his own!

Chen Jun's body, already curled up from extreme pain, felt the agony deepen under the impact of this memory!!!

The pained Soul deep within his already bloodshot eyes, filled with despair and anger, had begun to tremble violently!!!

The [Multiple Benefits] he had been longing for was finally activated... However—

This didn't bring him even a shred of happiness... Chen Jun felt the explosively growing power within him, but there wasn't a hint of joy in his heart. Feeling the memories of his descendants before their deaths... there was only endless desolation and... a killing intent so fierce it seemed ready to break through the edge of the Universe!!!!!

This power was built upon the corpses and bones of the Family's juniors!!!

It was exchanged for the deaths of his descendants in pain and despair!

This made him feel incredibly... pained!!!

"Not enough... still not enough!!!"

His thoughts roared frantically, like a wounded Vicious Beast trapped in a cage!

"Ten high-tier Galaxy Level enemies! This bit of power... is far from enough!!!"

He clearly realized that even though he had reached the Stellar Level, he was still like an ant before high-tier Galaxy Level entities!

If he went out now, besides throwing his life away and letting the enemies discover him as "Ancestor Chen," causing the final hope to be completely shattered!!!

It would be meaningless!!!!!

Endure!!!

He must endure!!!

If he were impulsive now... it would result in the complete destruction of the entire civilization and the entire Family, with no possibility of recovery!!!!!

He desperately suppressed the roaring power, rage, and killing intent within his body!!!

He turned all the pain, all the humiliation, and all the anger into the coldest will, burying it deep, deep within the depths of his Soul!!!

Like forcibly pressing an about-to-erupt volcano back beneath the Earth's crust!!!

His eyes stared fixedly at those ten beasts in the starry sky!!!

Their auras!

Their appearances!

Every word they said!

Every move they made!

He carved them into the deepest part of his Soul!!!!!

"Yaoqiong Divine Kingdom... Brilliant Light... Thunder Punishment... An Ying... Bing Po...!!!"

"I remember! I remember it all!!!"

"Today's humiliation! Today's pain! Today's blood debt!!!"

"I, Chen Jun, shall repay it a hundredfold! A thousandfold!! Ten thousandfold!!!...!!!!!"

"Just you wait... you bastards just wait!!!"

"I will personally set foot in the Yaoqiong Divine Kingdom and trample your so-called glory, your so-called celebrations! Especially you beasts! I'll crush you into dust!!!"

"I will let you know what it means to have... a rage that cannot be extinguished even if the Universe is burned to ashes!!!!!"

Within his body, under the perfect concealment of the [Traceless] and [Multiple Benefits] effects, his power continued to accumulate exponentially... no one noticed... the [Multiple Benefits] notification sounds rang out densely, like raindrops of death.

Every notification represented a heart-wrenching pain!

Every one represented a blood debt that must be repaid with blood!

Chen Jun lay on the lounge chair, his outward appearance still that "weak" state, completely imprisoned and unable to even change his expression!

Only in the deepest depths of those profound eyes, beneath the forcibly frozen pupils—

A flicker of flame, seemingly from the Nine Serenities of Hell and cold to the extreme, was quietly igniting, and... burning more and more fiercely!!!!!!!!!

That was—

The flame of hatred!

The flame of oaths!

It was the deathly eyes opened by the dormant divine Dragon in the abyss—

The Eyes of Death!!!!!!!!!