Chapter 1409: 21 The Grim Scene after the Majesty of Heaven and Earth [Please Subscribe to the Authorized Version]

Chapter 1409: Chapter 21 The Grim Scene after the Majesty of Heaven and Earth [Please Subscribe to the Authorized Version]

“Thrilling! Absolutely thrilling!”

A hint of madness glimmered in Jia Yan’s eyes.

He had always possessed a slightly unhinged personality. Though recent circumstances had tempered that nature, being pushed to the brink had triggered an outburst of pent-up recklessness, making him even more unrestrained than before!

At this moment, as he flew at high speed, he couldn’t believe it himself—a mere Dignitary, daring to storm the headquarters of the formidable Group of Futile Life in retaliation. To other monsters, such an endeavor might as well belong to the realm of legendary myth.

Yet Jia Yan had done it.

And not only had he done it—he had succeeded!

Of course, it would have been perfect if the aftermath of the explosions behind him weren’t relentlessly chasing after him so closely.

Jia Yan, despite being a mere Dignitary, understood keenly that even with the protection of the Bluish Defense, one touch of that explosion’s shockwave would mean certain death.

“Charge! Charge! Charge!”

A flicker of seriousness flashed across Jia Yan’s gaze.

Fortunately, within Subspace, the power of the explosion became considerably less impactful. After all, what had entered Subspace wasn’t the actual explosive matter, but its effects on that dimensional plane.

And, due to the nature of Subspace—where one step within equates to a thousand or even ten thousand steps in the outer world—Jia Yan’s relentless acceleration allowed him to narrowly evade the most destructive shockwaves.

Finally, after a fleeing period that seemed like an eternity to Jia Yan, though likely just a few intense minutes, the explosion’s pursuit behind him came to a halt.

However, Jia Yan dared not return to that distorted Subspace, now so warped it promised only suffering should he attempt to re-enter.

Only at this point did he have a moment to stop and assess the fallout of his crazed actions.

“The Conceptual Ship has likely suffered catastrophic damage. Without repairs, its effectiveness will be vastly diminished.”

Jia Yan examined himself. Luckily, his physical form remained largely intact thanks to the protection provided by the ship. He’d suffered almost no major injuries. The ship, on the other hand, was in shambles. Its rear was entirely obliterated, leaving behind a barren, dangling husk, barely holding together and on the verge of collapse.

That said, the ship’s front section was relatively unscathed. Snowflake-like displays flickered rapidly on its surface as pieces of Memory Metal wriggled, attempting to begin self-repair of the damaged rear sections.

From this battle, the Conceptual Ship’s overall effectiveness had taken a massive blow. Previously capable of amplifying Jia Yan’s power to the level of a High-level Talent Subsection Existence, it could now at best elevate him to an Intermediate Talent Subsection Existence.

Of course, this was only a rough estimate. Jia Yan’s own power was steadily growing with every moment, so how much amplification it would truly provide him remained to be seen during actual combat.

“If escaping through Subspace felt this terrifying, then the situation outside must be even more insane, right?”

Jia Yan, unable to contain his curiosity, discreetly tore open a sliver of Subspace. Waves of energy from the external universe rippled into his senses.

In the outer Starry Sky, waves of scorching Flame still lingered.

The entire expanse of the stars seemed like it had transformed into an inferno, a furnace of blistering heat. Jia Yan’s mere act of slightly parting Subspace allowed tongues of Flame to sneak inside.

With no other choice, Jia Yan waited a little longer.

At least several dozen more minutes passed before he carefully opened Subspace again.

The external temperature had finally eased from its hellish peak.

Ripping apart Subspace once more, he cautiously piloted his partially repaired Conceptual Ship into the void beyond.

“Terrifying!”

When Jia Yan took in the scene before him, despite having mentally steeled himself, his Compound Eyes widened in shock.

In his life, he had witnessed some of the most devastating explosions before—primarily caused by advanced technological weaponry.

Even those, at their most powerful, could, at best, melt the surface of a single stellar body into a sea of molten magma. But the scene now unfolding before him far eclipsed anything he had ever imagined.

Sovereign spheres of stellar bodies burned like raging fireballs, hurtling chaotically across the Starry Sky. The main star, though once shielded by defenses, now had its protective layers thoroughly annihilated. It too had transformed into an immense fireball, wandering aimlessly among its shattered companions.

In this macabre tableau, scorched and unrecognizable monster corpses floated silently in the vacuum of space. Even those once-powerful enough to preserve their physical form had not escaped the clutches of high-temperature incineration, rendered unmistakably dead.

Their charred remains served as a grim testament to the cataclysmic devastation wrought by cosmic forces.

Within several tens of thousands of kilometers, every monster’s corpse bore the same fate. Even among them, Jia Yan spotted the remains of a Semi-permanent Star Existence. While its body was marginally better preserved, dead it remained.

“Huh?”

As Jia Yan flew forward in contemplation, something caught his attention amidst the Flame-saturated starry expanse.

Amidst the roiling fire, a monstrous figure, grievously injured and nearly incapacitated, struggled onward in flight.

“So, someone is still alive!”

A fierce gleam appeared in Jia Yan’s gaze as he honed in on the figure’s power level.

The creature’s Brainwave Power was drastically diminished, radiating no more than the energy of a middle-tier Semi-permanent Star Genius. However, the overwhelming aura emanating from them was far beyond the capabilities of an Intermediate Talent of their level.

“A High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius!”

Jia Yan exclaimed in astonishment. He hadn’t expected someone of this caliber to have survived such an apocalyptic explosion. Their resilience made it clear the strength held by High-level Talents at the Semi-permanent Star Level was beyond what Jia Yan could fathom for now.

What he didn’t know was that the survivor had sacrificed a colleague as a makeshift shield to survive. Otherwise, survival would have been utterly impossible amid such unfathomable destruction.

“Since you’re suffering so much, allow me to grant you peace.”

Killing intent flickered within Jia Yan’s Compound Eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he propelled himself forward toward the crippled monster.

The wounded being, seemingly oblivious to the impending threat, lacked the capacity to perceive danger—or perhaps, it never occurred to them that, in a place so ravaged, an ambush could still be waiting for them!

After all, they were a High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius. To have survived the detonation was a feat unimaginable to them. Who else could possibly be alive?

“Damn it, Mo Ke died too easily! We worked so hard to establish the Group of Futile Life to this scale, and now it’s been so gravely crippled that it will take centuries to regain its former glory.”

The High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star-Level Monster muttered bitterly in anger and despair.

Consumed by fury and fear, they couldn’t have imagined Mo Ke would sacrifice himself with an Artificial Black Hole, bringing mutual destruction to their faction.

“Heh, sorry to disappoint you, Senior. I’m still alive, and my vow stands: as long as the Group of Futile Life exists, I will never relent in my attacks. Restoring your honor and power? Impossible…”

Just as the heavily wounded creature, their consciousness fading, sought sanctuary away from the blast zone, a voice resounded before them.

“Who’s there?”

Cautious yet weak, the High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius raised their head. But their severe injuries—burns even across their eyes—rendered them incapable of discerning who had approached.

“Heh…” Jia Yan shook his head without further words. Then, without hesitation, the front claw of his Conceptual Ship lunged forward in a devastating strike!

Jia Yan was not foolish. Even weakened, his target remained an eminent High-level Talent. His claws, glinting with a bluish glow, complemented by his own faint luminous hue, drove forward with lethal precision.

“Mo Ke? You survived?!”

The High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius, sensing Jia Yan’s energy, finally realized the identity of their attacker.

They looked utterly petrified. Having sustained such critical injuries themselves and previously been the closest to the Black Hole, how could Jia Yan still be alive? The thought defied all reasoning.

None of that mattered now, however. What did matter was that Jia Yan had no intention of sparing them.

They forced themselves to lift a charred limb, though it was all but defenseless. Even their Brainwave Power couldn’t muster defensive strength around the limb anymore.

Desperation filled them as this limb was pierced mercilessly through by Jia Yan’s bluish claw.

The claw drove further, straight into the creature’s brain.

“I hate this!”

Even after sacrificing a colleague as a shield, their fate was sealed. Bitter remorse consumed the High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius in their final moments.

Regret overwhelmed them—not for using their comrade as a scapegoat—but for underestimating the consequences of pursuing the Jia Yan Squad. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine Jia Yan would unleash a Black Hole, penetrate multiple layers of space, and strike at the Group of Futile Life’s core in the Main Star Zone.

More regrettable still, they hadn’t issued commands to rally surrounding forces to join the chase and eliminate Jia Yan earlier. Had they done so, this catastrophic outcome might have been avoided.

“Mo Ke… don’t think you can laugh last. Our group still has… other Strong Ones… destined to kill… you…” They uttered their final words before succumbing.

Thus, this High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius exhaled their last breath.

This marked a groundbreaking moment for Jia Yan—a mere Dignitary—to have personally taken down a being ranked among the very pinnacle of the Genius Battlefield: a High-level Talent Semi-permanent Star Genius.

Outside the top echelon of Supreme Geniuses, High-level Talent Semi-permanent Stars stood invincible in the Genius Battlefield. For even an Intermediate Talent Semi-permanent Star to leap ranks and kill one would be legendary. Yet now, Jia Yan—a mere Dignitary—had managed to slay one face-to-face!

Such an event, once known, would undoubtedly send shockwaves across the Genius Battlefield.

And even now, word was spreading.

“Those explosions must have survivors somewhere! Quickly, we must rescue them!”

Just as Jia Yan finished eliminating the injured Semi-permanent Star Genius, he heard an urgent voice echoing from behind.

A group of Group of Futile Life creatures stationed on nearby stellar bodies was moving against the flow of destructive energy, drawing closer to the explosion’s epicenter to conduct rescue operations.

“Heh, the Group of Futile Life is rather united. A pity you’re my enemies.”

Jia Yan observed the incoming creatures. The strongest among them were merely High-level Talent Secondary Level beings. His eyes glimmered with a dim, otherworldly flame…

Moments later, his front leg vanished into Subspace. Within seconds, his entire Conceptual Ship followed into the alternate plane.

A moment after, amidst the incoming rescue teams, a cry of anguish erupted.

“There’s an ambusher!”

Cries of astonishment rippled through the rescue party.

Though the Group of Futile Life had brought many, none were stronger than Jia Yan himself. However, Jia Yan was still injured, and his Conceptual Ship’s amplification was weaker than before. Forced to retreat after killing a number of rescuers, he strategically disappeared once again into Subspace.

Still, the slaughter had been satisfying.

Shifting in and out of Subspace, conducting rapid strikes, he managed to slay several high-tier individuals, further depleting the Group of Futile Life’s already battered resources.

Thank you to the reader who rewarded this story! I couldn’t see who you are, but I appreciate it nonetheless.