73: God's presence

On the Mining Star, three mysterious pupils projected by blood-colored beams of light, like a lone lighthouse in the vast ocean, guided him.

The Star-Chasing Eye—Nyssera.

His speed was beyond imagination; the light screen showed a star sea an unimaginable distance away, but moments after the image appeared, the star system where the Mining Star was located was stained with ink-like blackness, and a mysterious aura permeated it.

A God…

Had silently descended.

After appearing in this star system, his objective was clear. He did not materialize, but traveled in a mist form, treating the starships stationed in the star sea as if they were nothing, approaching the Mining Star.

The next moment…

A silent black mist, like ink, covered the surface of the Mining Star. From a distance, it looked like a colossal abyss mouth in the star sea, about to swallow the planet!

It was at this moment.

On the surface of the Mining Star, out of nowhere, illusory runic chains that had been laid out long ago appeared, solidifying in an instant, sealing off the entire Mining Star and intercepting the black mist outside the planet!

The black mist made contact with the runic chains. The chains trembled, tightening even further. Countless chains intertwined, continuously extending and multiplying, forming a defense.

As the God's power continuously eroded, some of its power broke through the runic chains' defense and entered the Mining Star.

But most of the power was intercepted outside, lingering in the star sea.

At the same time.

In the star sea, the Judgment Corps's nearly ten thousand starships, whose positions had been planned long ago, were suspended throughout the star sea. With the God's arrival and the activation of the runic chains, their energy engines burst forth with full power, and their defensive fields expanded!

Points of starlight illuminated this star system.

After each starship's defensive field was activated, a mysterious change occurred. All the fields resonated, echoing each other, connecting together, and their power underwent an unimaginable qualitative change!

Centered on the Mining Star, the entire star system was as if segmented within the star sea, appearing as a substantial field containing immense power, intertwining to form countless facets, locking, confining, and encircling this star system.

At this moment, it became an isolated island in the star sea, a cage!

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

In the past, when the Starfire Federation first left its home star, it was like a weak flame, unable to withstand wind and rain.

Now…

That faint spark of starfire grew through hardships, continuously evolving amidst the tragic songs of blood and fire. As of today, the Starfire has ignited into a raging blaze, soaring in the star sea!

The moment the field cage formed, led by the flagship, the hatch doors of one starship after another opened, and human figures stepped into the star sea with their bare bodies.

Leading the forefront was the Legion Commander, Commander Duan Junyou.

His aura, like a tide, surged in layers, constantly rising, and brilliant light emanated from his body, like a human-shaped great sun standing in the star sea.

In all directions.

High-ranking Martial Artists, Spiritual Energy Users, and technologically-evolved individuals stepped into the star sea.

The only ones the Judgment Corps could not accept were practitioners of the esoteric system.

Because this was a legion inherently opposed to the Cosmic Gods.

This was just the beginning.

The moment Commander Duan Junyou and others stepped into the star sea, ripples spread in the star sea outside the field cage. In the void, more than a dozen colossal objects warped here and moved out.

The Starfire Federation possessed astonishing warp technology.

Those colossal objects that warped here, from a distance, resembled fortresses. Their regular mass was unimaginable, like planets drifting in the star sea. After arriving, they took up positions around the area.

Star Fortresses!

One of the Starfire Federation's crystallization of civilization, these were true supreme war weapons. Similar to the top-tier mechs, they were treasures of civilization forged by combining technology and the transcendent to their utmost limits.

At the same time.

Silently.

Outside the field, in several places, there were slight fluctuations for a moment.

It was as if gazes had leaped across the star sea, projected here, monitoring the area, ready to strike at any moment.

Those gazes came from within the Starfire Federation, from the true pillars of the sky, the supreme powerhouses who supported the civilization's foundation.

Martial Artist, Eighth Realm—Martial God!

Spiritual Energy User, Ninth Realm—Primal!

Such an astonishing posture had been brewing and prepared for an unknown period, all to deal with a potentially existing enemy.

Because their opponent was…

A Cosmic God!

At the center of the field cage.

The black mist, this inherently noble existence in the star sea, which had been continuously eroding the runic chains, finally could no longer treat everything around it as nothing.

A small portion of his power successfully entered the Mining Star, but the vast majority of his power was intercepted here, unable to enter or retreat.

The black mist detached from above the Mining Star, gathered in the star sea, and began to construct a physical form, gradually taking shape.

From a distance, he resembled a vast inkstone, standing in the star sea. Above him, black mist surged, like flowing ink, and on his body, there were numerous pupils, large and small, densely covering various parts of his body.

The pupils were blood-red, with blood and ink intertwined, and within the pupils, reflections of unknown planets were mirrored.

The Star-Chasing Eye.

Nyssera!

The pupils around his body looked in all directions of the star sea. This Cosmic God, who had revealed his true form, emitted a low, obscure voice.

But this voice, whether heard by human ears or captured by machines, could be clearly understood.

“Starfire Federation…”

“You have overstepped.”

…

Mining Star, Star God Forbidden Zone.

In the Different Space, Qin Jin was continuously answering the Star God's various questions.

His mind was completely calm, and his attention was fully immersed, focused.

In Chu Tianyi's base, although he hadn't seen data on other Star Gods, he had read and understood a lot of information about Gaia planets.

In fact, every competitor participating in the Heavenly Selection would obtain relevant information from the faction they chose.

Now, facing the Star God's true form directly, Qin Jin spoke calmly and slowly, “In the past, the Federation has already cooperated with many Star Gods. Currently… within the Federation, there are a total of seventeen Gaia planets.”

“Four Star Gods were nurtured and grew with the Federation's help.”

“Star Gods like you, unlike other Cosmic Gods, are inherently bound to a planet from birth. Your own growth will drive the planet's changes, and similarly… changes in the planet will also nourish your own growth.”

“This naturally aligns with the Federation's goals.”

“In the time to come, the Federation will actively help you grow, in order to shorten the time it takes for this planet to advance to Gaia-level.”

“Star Gods and human civilization are natural allies.”

High in the sky.

The Star God's true form continuously shifted, with billions of strokes arranging and combining, listening intently.

Opportunities to communicate with a God and have them listen quietly are not many.

Time passed.

The Star God's questions became increasingly complex.

It was at this moment…

Above.

The Star God's true body slowly rotated, as if observing the situation outside the Different Space. His extraordinary voice resonated in Qin Jin's mind.

“The Starfire Federation you speak of has contacted me through some means.”

“They said they prepared a small gift for me.”