240: Leave the earth!

Earth.

It was a scorching summer day in Hanxia Country.

At this very moment, the Jingji Garrison Headquarters was bustling with activity.

The scale of today's gathering even far surpassed the global high-level conference three years ago.

Above the Jingji Garrison Headquarters' helipad, two D5-class silver-white saucer-shaped spaceships hovered, like two floating islands, blotting out the sky.

These were spaceships Chen Fan had purchased from the Virtual Universe three months ago, each costing around 30 billion qianwu coins.

But for the current Chen Fan, this money was trivial.

After all, he had bought a galaxy defense system worth tens of billions of cosmic coins without batting an eye, let alone spaceships.

In the past three years of spending, no matter how lavish Chen Fan was, he had only spent nearly 200 billion cosmic coins.

Now, he still had over 100 billion cosmic coins left in his Galaxy Bank two-star account.

Meanwhile, beneath the massive shadows of the spaceships, a bustling crowd of people gathered.

These were all family members who had come to see them off.

Chen Fan scanned his surroundings, his sharp gaze sweeping over the twenty Astral Rank martial artists around him.

This included Ma Liang, Hong, Thunder God, Xue Zhan, Jia Yi, Wang Teng, Kassel, Angers, Fu Qingxi... with the most powerful individuals coming from the Jingji Garrison.

Every single one was a top-tier martial artist from various major base cities and factions.

These twenty individuals, without exception, were all formidable martial artists of Astral Rank Stage Two or higher, the elite of Earth's elite.

As the first group of Earth martial artists to go to Canglan Star to participate in the cosmic apprentice mercenary assessment, Chen Fan had already made the most comprehensive arrangements for them.

In his plan, Chen Fan intended to have them form teams of two.

Then, with four Astral Rank Stage Nine servants, they would enter the assessment world together, ensuring their safety.

No other reason than this:

Over the past three years, Chen Fan had maintained contact with Yaso.

Most of their discussions were about the Netherworld of Realm Lord Ming Sa.

From the information revealed by World Lord Yaso, the danger level of the Netherworld had been constantly changing and remained consistently high.

For this, Chen Fan had to make more thorough preparations.

“Are you all ready!?” Chen Fan's booming voice.

“Ready, we can depart anytime!!”

“No problem, always ready!!”

The crowd was very excited, especially the younger martial artists around Wang Teng, who were particularly thrilled.

No other reason than this:

This was their first time leaving Earth to travel to another planet in deep space.

Even though they had been exposed to cosmic civilization for so long in the Virtual Universe, this time they were truly stepping into deep space.

Whether it was seasoned powerhouses like Thunder God and Hong, or rising stars like Wang Teng, Han Li, and Fang Yuan, all of them showed excited expressions—

Vast starry sky, here we come!!

“Very good, you have the last fifteen minutes, hurry up and say goodbye to your loved ones!!”

Seeing the high morale and excited expressions of everyone, Chen Fan nodded with satisfaction and said loudly:

“This trip to Canglan Star for the cosmic apprentice mercenary assessment will take approximately six months to a year.”

“If you miss home or your family, you can meet them through the Virtual Universe!”

“Good!”

“Good!”

“...”

Amidst cheerful responses, everyone bid farewell to their relatives and friends.

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Zhou, during the time Daddy is away, you must listen to your mothers, and when I come back, I’ll bring you fun toys!”

Chen Fan stretched out his right hand and picked up his two sons, while with his other hand, he picked up Xiao Xue'er.

Beside them, Venina and his two other wives also looked on with gentle eyes.

“Daddy, Daddy, we’ll be very obedient, and we’ll miss you very much!!”

As they spoke, several cute and handsome boys showered Chen Fan’s face with continuous kisses.

Only Xiao Xue'er held onto Chen Fan's neck, pressing her small face tightly against his, looking as if she was about to cry.

“Daddy, I’ll miss you very, very much,” Xiao Xue'er said softly and weakly, very reluctant to part.

“Daddy will often meet Mommy, Xiao Xue'er, and your brothers in the Virtual Universe.”

Chen Fan gently rubbed Xiao Xue'er's fair and tender little face with his chin, an expression of affection on his face.

“Xiao Fan, be sure to stay safe out there!” Chens Father and Chens Mother patiently exhorted him.

“I know!”

...Chen Fan said goodbye to his family, and Thunder God and Hong also bid farewell to their respective families.

The journey to Canglan Star would be long and distant.

All the Earth martial artists who were about to embark on this journey into the stars were reluctantly parting with their loved ones, while also receiving encouragement and cheers from their families.

“Good child, the hope of the Wang family rests entirely on you!”

“My grandson, Wang Teng, is destined to be a powerhouse who will dominate the universe!”

Wang Changsheng patted Wang Teng’s shoulder, his face full of anticipation: “We await your good news. Be sure to listen to Chairman Chen Fan and face the assessment well!”

Wang Teng nodded heavily: “Mm, I will not let you down!!”

As for Han Li and Fang Yuan, they exchanged a smile.

Then, the two gave each other an encouraging hug: “Good luck!!”

Among the farewell crowd, a young Planetary Level martial artist looked at the many Astral Rank powerhouses who were tearfully parting, his expression very lonely.

Next to him, an old man in a Tang suit looked at the young man and sighed with emotion:

“Young Master Tang San, you should go back; watching any longer will only deepen your sorrow!!”

Tang San: “...”

The fifteen-minute farewell quickly ended, and the twenty Astral Rank individuals successively boarded the spaceship.

On the other spaceship were forty Astral Rank servants.

Psycher Masters and martial artists each accounted for half, led by Ta Yi, Ta Er, and Ta San, three Cosmic-level martial artists.

Rumble!!!

The silver-white spaceship emitted a deafening roar and slowly ascended into the sky.

Under the gaze of thousands of people, the two spaceships quickly flew into the atmosphere, disappearing from everyone's sight... Just like that, the two spaceships flew in the Dark Universe for two days and twenty-eight hours.

Finally, they performed a cosmic warp, arriving at Black Rose Star, 74,100 light-years from Earth.

Immediately after, the spaceship slowly decelerated and entered Black Rose Star's atmosphere.

The journey, which could have been boring and uninteresting, was completely filled with surprise and excitement.

Chen Fan felt for the first time that flying in the Dark Universe could be so interesting.

After all, this time Chen Fan was accompanied by dozens of Earth martial artists, not traveling alone in deep space.

Including Thunder God and Hong, everyone looked curiously at the glowing Dark Universe, their eyes filled with intense interest.

Every moment, the spaceship cabin was filled with lively chatter.

The vast and magnificent deep space universe greatly stimulated everyone's enthusiasm.

Chen Fan had never imagined the profound impact of this journey into deep space.

Especially the new generation of martial artists like Wang Teng, they were practically glued to the windows, watching the streaking lights and fireflies hitting the cabin.

Exclamations constantly rang out, and their appearance was very much like Chen Fan's first time leaving Earth for a distant journey.

“We will stay on Black Rose Star for one day. After changing equipment, we will depart tomorrow morning!”

Chen Fan said indifferently, then directed the two silver spaceships to land on the skyscraper in the center of Luoxia City.

Chen Fan wore a blood-colored Stage Three battle suit, his battle robe fluttering in the strong wind behind him.

Behind him were twenty Astral Rank martial artists from Earth.

And then there were the forty Astral Rank Stage Nine servants prepared for the cosmic apprentice mercenary assessment.

All of them wore blood-colored battle suits, all Stage Three or higher.

Chen Fan turned his head, his gaze falling upon this group of servants, his eyes deep—

This batch of Astral Rank Stage Nine individuals was purchased by Chen Fan with a hefty sum, and their combat power far surpassed that of ordinary Astral Rank Stage Nine individuals.

What's more, Chen Fan had updated all their weapons and equipment one by one.

Now, these forty Astral Rank Stage Nine servants were all equipped with peak Stage Three weapons and battle suits.

In addition, Chen Fan also issued each of these servants an anonymous account-bound consciousness-sensing helmet.

This was to allow them to freely cultivate in the Virtual Universe.

As for their expenses in the Virtual Universe, Chen Fan covered them all.

It must be said that over the past three years, the combat power of these servant powerhouses had improved extremely rapidly, with several of them reaching the threshold of Universe Rank.

They were just one step away from breaking through to Universe Rank!

More importantly, their loyalty had also gained Chen Fan's approval.

Therefore, this time, Chen Fan was willing to take them along, and they would serve as teammates and protectors for the Earth martial artists.

On the evening of their arrival at Black Rose Star, Chen Fan led the group to the most luxurious hotel in Luoxia City.

After a hearty drink, everyone returned to their pre-arranged hotel rooms... On the hotel rooftop,

Wang Teng stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking up at the star-studded night sky, feeling incredibly comfortable.

He stood alone, facing the night wind, spreading his hands to feel the temperature of this planet, a hopeful smile appearing on his face—

I truly hope Grandpa could also come and see the prosperity and grandeur of deep space!

I must work hard and live up to Grandpa's and the family's expectations.

From childhood, Wang Teng had been the shining star of the family, always achieving things perfectly.

So, for this journey into deep space, Wang Teng had been holding back a surge of energy, vowing to secure this spot.

Thus, in just three years, Wang Teng had advanced from Planetary Level Stage Three to Astral Rank, although this was partly due to the inheritance of a certain Undying powerhouse.

But more than that, it was his own diligent cultivation day and night.

In the Virtual Universe Slaughter Arena, C-class nutrient cabins, and training rooms mixed with mu ya crystal and azure wave marrow, he followed a three-point-one-line routine.

The goal was simply to advance to Astral Rank as quickly as possible and seize the opportunity to travel to the vast starry sky.

He was deep in thought.

Suddenly, 'thump-thump-thump' footsteps sounded from the stairwell behind him.

Wang Teng paused slightly, then turned his head.

When he clearly saw who it was, a long-unseen smile appeared on his face.

It turned out to be Han Li and Fang Yuan, each carrying a box of beer, casually strolling out of the hallway.

They looked as if they had had a bit too much to drink.

In reality, this was not the case; the physique of an ordinary Planetary Level martial artist already had a very fast tolerance and decomposition rate for alcohol, let alone those who were already Astral Rank.

“Come, come, Wang Teng brother, try our new discovery, a specialty of Black Rose Star! Earth doesn’t have such fine wine!”

The night wind blew, and the three martial artists from Earth sat on the edge of the balcony, drinking together.

On the rooftop of a tall building not far from them,

Jia Yi, Mo Handerson, Yisite, Patti Singer, and Sokonov gathered.

Five martial artists from different nations but all belonging to Earth were now seated around a small table, tasting vodka brought from Siberia and old baijiu, the atmosphere incredibly harmonious.

“To our beloved Mother Earth!!”

“Bang!!”

“Bang!”

“...”

Amidst crisp clinking sounds, one glass of strong liquor after another was emptied... The next morning, the two spaceships embarked on their journey once again.

The journey from Black Rose Star to Canglan Star was long.

Even with continuous spacetime warping in the Dark Universe, it would still take a very long time.

Therefore, Chen Fan took all the martial artists into the Virtual Universe to once again familiarize themselves with the details of the 'cosmic apprentice mercenary assessment'.

Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island, Nine Dragon Mountain.

Chen Fan, Hong, Thunder God, and others sat together on the grass, with a large transparent light screen floating before them.

The screen displayed some precautions to be aware of during the cosmic mercenary assessment.

“Everyone must understand that the World Lord World not only harbors dangers itself, but more of the dangers come from other participants in the assessment.”

“Murder, robbery, and bullying the weak are common occurrences in the World Lord World.

So this time, you will form teams of two, and each team will bring four Astral Rank Stage Nine Psycher Masters or martial artists, making a team of six safer!”

“Even if you acquire any treasures or good items, do not reveal them...”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm!!”

Around Chen Fan, all the martial artists from Earth listened attentively to his words.

“I didn’t expect human nature to be the most difficult aspect of the cosmic apprentice mercenary assessment.”

A hint of helplessness appeared on Ma Liang's face; he had actually learned a lot about this dark side from Venerable Po Yun's inherited memories.

“So this time, besides our own people and servants, don’t easily trust anyone else.

Not all those in sheep's clothing are wolves; some are even demons!”

Thunder God added, and even he felt a heavy pressure.

But because of Chen Fan's presence, he wasn't too nervous.

After all, Chen Fan had prepared very thoroughly for this assessment.

He not only bought a large group of highly combat-effective Astral Rank Stage Nine Psycher Masters and martial artists but also taught them some secret techniques for combined attacks and bursts of power.

This approach was to enable them to unleash greater strength when facing crises.

“We have powerful Astral Rank peak martial artists, so we shouldn't have to worry.”

Xue Zhan suddenly spoke.

“It's good that we have so many of our own people entering the assessment world this time. If we encounter each other, mutual support will be a great help!”

Hong also said with a smile, looking relaxed.

Leading so many Earth powerhouses to step into the starry sky together was something he had never imagined.

But because of Chen Fan's sudden rise, many things that were originally mere fantasies had now become reality—solving the beast tide crisis, leading humanity's rise... Every single thing Chen Fan did had a profound impact on Earth's humanity.

“Everyone, go about your business. I will send a message to notify everyone when we are close to Qiulong Star.”

The discussion about the World Lord World ended here.

All the martial artists went to meet their families and chat about interesting stories from their interstellar journey.

Chen Fan did the same, returning directly to his home in Moon Lake District to see his wife, children, and parents...

The next morning, the two spaceships embarked on their journey once again.