"No... no..." A wave of inexplicable panic washed over Yun Qi as she struggled in Zhong Yun's embrace. But the hands clasped around her waist held so tightly; how could her strength ever match his? She couldn't break free.

"Why not?" Zhong Yun's deep, hoarse voice sounded near her ear, seemingly suppressing boundless power, causing a tremor in her heart.

"Yun... don't, I'm afraid..." Yun Qi's heart had never pounded so fast; it felt like it was about to burst from her chest. The rapid, hot breath against her ear seemed to melt her whole being, sending a tingling itch deep into her core.

Zhong Yun had yearned for this day for seven years, and now, after a long separation, the fires of their passion raged, erupting all at once and becoming uncontrollable.

"Don't be afraid, I will cherish you deeply..."

Zhong Yun kissed from Yun Qi’s jawline, and amidst her gasp, he captured her heated lips.

Yun Qi weakly pushed against Zhong Yun’s shoulders a few times, then let her hands fall, completely surrendering to his ardent kiss.

In the haze of passion, she felt a large hand slip inside her garment, gliding upward along her skin until it reached her chest and closed around her.

"Mmm," a muffled sound escaped her plugged mouth. Yun Qi's slender legs stiffened abruptly, and with a soft thud, the shoes on her feet fell to the floor...

The Mercury was piloted by Xiao Ling, following a secret route toward Qi Yun Star. They had traversed this route three times before, and apart from the one time they happened to rescue the crew of the Pearl, they had never encountered any other vessels.

But this time, not long after leaving Ketong Star, they spotted several ships far in the distance. Zhong Yun only wished to return home as quickly as possible, so early that day he had instructed them not to meddle in others' affairs. Xiao Ling guided the Mercury to steer wide around them.

In the continuing journey, less than ten days later, they encountered several more groups of ships in quick succession. Xiao Ling deemed the situation too abnormal and informed Zhong Yun.

Ever since that day when his desires were finally fulfilled, Zhong Yun had been immersed in a world of tenderness, spending his honeymoon in seclusion with Yun Qi. He was so content he forgot the world, and only when Xiao Ling reported an emergency did he reluctantly consent to be separated from Yun Qi even for a moment.

Though somewhat unwilling, he knew Xiao Ling wouldn't interrupt him unless something major had occurred. Composing himself, he asked, "Xiao Ling, what is so urgent that you needed me?"

"Since leaving Ketong Star, we have encountered six groups of vessels, totaling twenty-one ships. According to the maps on the ships, the six groups originate from different nations. Furthermore, five of those groups show signs of combat."

Hearing Xiao Ling's report, Zhong Yun’s expression grew grave. "This route is extremely remote, not within any nation's territory, and far from common shipping lanes. How did those ships find their way here?"

Could these ships have encountered pirates in the vicinity? That was a high possibility. But to have six groups of ships from different nations stray this far from the lanes—those pirates must be incredibly audacious. Perhaps they were fugitives from high-level civilization states?

"Xiao Ling, what do you suspect is the reason?" Zhong Yun found the matter eerily strange and asked Xiao Ling.

"Insufficient data for speculation," Xiao Ling replied.

"Whatever the cause, there must have been a major upheaval nearby," Zhong Yun frowned. "Whatever it is, it's none of our business. Let's hurry home."

For some reason, an unsettling feeling gnawed at Zhong Yun.

Leaving the main control room, just as he was about to return to Yun Qi’s quarters, his face suddenly changed drastically, and sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. Only then did he remember: there was another girl waiting for him aboard the Mercury.

Weiwei sat staring blankly in the room. She had awakened the next day to find Zhong Yun gone, and the surroundings were utterly unfamiliar.

It was a room filled with exotic charm, vast and elegantly furnished. She recognized few of the decorations; she was certain this place was not Minsk.

When she woke and didn't see Zhong Yun, she nearly collapsed, immediately assuming he had abandoned her again. She rushed to the door like a madwoman, shouting his name until her throat was raw, but received no response, as if she were the only person there.

After shouting herself hoarse, Weiwei gradually calmed down and began to retrace her steps before falling asleep. She only remembered drifting off in Zhong Yun's arms, unaware of what happened in between.

Once she settled, her mind cleared considerably, and she quickly deduced that this was likely Zhong Yun's home nation.

The realization made her ecstatic—Zhong Yun hadn't abandoned her after all; he had taken her with him. As for Zhong Yun, he must have left for urgent business. As long as she waited patiently, he would surely return.

What she hadn't expected was this wait stretching for more than ten days. During that time, robots delivered water and food daily. She tried to communicate with them, but failed. Those robots wouldn't speak unless commanded by Zhong Yun.

After ten days, a bad feeling began to surface in Weiwei’s heart. The lack of word from Zhong Yun led her to wild speculation—fearing both that something had happened to him and that her initial assumption was wrong. Anxiety and worry intertwined, tormenting her.

Just as Weiwei was nearing collapse, the heavy door opened silently. She suddenly sensed a presence and whirled around, her eyes immediately locking onto the figure she had yearned for standing in the doorway.

She stared dazedly at Zhong Yun walking toward her, and tears instantly blurred his form. Days of waiting, days of worry, all dissolved into silent weeping.

She felt all the strength drain from her body. Then, a pair of strong hands encircled her, pulling her close against a broad chest.

Zhong Yun looked at Weiwei’s drawn face, a flicker of guilt crossing his mind. "I'm sorry, I took too long."

Weiwei, gathering strength from nowhere, clung tightly to his waist and sobbed hysterically.

Zhong Yun patted her back, experiencing a complex mix of emotions.

The situation grew increasingly bizarre. In the subsequent journey, the Mercury encountered more and more ships—some in small groups of two or three, others in large fleets, and even formations of military cruisers. All these ships, without exception, bore traces of battle.

Zhong Yun's unease deepened. Finally, unable to sit still any longer, when they met another group of three warships, he forcibly initiated a communication link and questioned them.

As the three captains recounted their stories with trepidation, Zhong Yun’s internal shock mounted.

All three ships were refugees. They hailed from a nation in the Fourth Stage of Intermediate Civilization, fleeing indiscriminate warfare and stumbling upon this remote location.

"War?" Zhong Yun asked skeptically. "Even if your nation is at war, you shouldn't need to flee like this. Does someone dare violate the laws of the Grand Cosmic Federation and attack your civilians?"

"The laws of the Grand Cosmic Federation?" Upon hearing this, the three captains exchanged looks of utter bewilderment.

Zhong Yun raised an eyebrow and stared coldly at the trio.

The three men stiffened, terrified of a misunderstanding, and quickly explained, "The laws of the Grand Cosmic Federation are effectively defunct now. Do you happen to know who instigated the war?"

"Who?" Zhong Yun's heart began to pound.

"The Ge'an Empire," the three bit out, clearly hating the Ge'an Empire to the core.

"Impossible," Zhong Yun exclaimed involuntarily.

He knew the Ge'an Empire had always been the guardian of order in the Omi Star System. The supposed laws of the Grand Cosmic Federation were enforced by the Ge'an Empire and two other high-level civilization states. For the former guardian to transform into a fiend and invade its own people—it was almost unbelievable.

"We are still unwilling to accept it, but it is the truth," one of them sighed. "The Ge'an Empire's invasion began a month ago, and within ten days, our nation was completely occupied."

"Originally, becoming a subordinate state of the Ge'an Empire might have been acceptable. But no one expected the Ge'an Empire to be so utterly insane." The man spoke with increasing grief and indignation, becoming almost speechless at the end.

"As soon as the Ge'an Empire occupied our nation, they seized all authority. All warships and mechs were confiscated. They controlled every citizen, divided us into zones, and forcibly imposed a series of extremely harsh regulations; people were forbidden from moving freely. The monetary system was destroyed, and all accumulated wealth became worthless."

"People only received enough food to sustain basic existence; to gain better treatment, they had to work for the Empire. Everyone was reduced to slaves of the Ge'an Empire." At this point, the man finally dissolved into heartbroken sobs.

Zhong Yun's shock reached an unimaginable peak. Unless all the high command of the Ge'an Empire had gone mad, how could they act with such depravity?

He knew that the current cosmic civilization operated under an established order. The Grand Cosmic Federation Arbitration Council, composed of eleven nations at the Fourth Stage of High Civilization, had established the current operating system. Any entity daring to disrupt this system would face severe punishment.

The Ge'an Empire was only at the Second Stage of High Civilization. Although it dominated the Omi Star System, facing the eleven Council nations, it probably wouldn't even have the capacity to resist.

Yet the Ge'an Empire had acted. It had crossed civilizational boundaries, severely violating the laws of the Grand Cosmic Federation by turning an Intermediate Civilization state into a colony.

What did this imply? Either all the decision-makers in the Ge'an Empire had lost their minds, or... the Grand Cosmic Federation had disintegrated.

Zhong Yun swallowed hard. Neither scenario was something he wanted to see. If it was the former, the Omi Star System would descend into utter chaos. If it was the latter, the entire universe of civilizations would be upended. His own strength was insufficient to guarantee the safety of his loved ones in such a tumultuous era.

"None of us were in the country when it happened. If we hadn't heard the news on Free Star, perhaps..."

Zhong Yun ignored them no longer. He ordered Xiao Ling to engage all thrusters and fly toward Qi Yun Star at full speed. En route, Zhong Yun contacted several more ships from different nations and received news largely consistent with the previous reports. Only then did he truly believe that the Ge'an Empire had truly dropped its facade and was ruthlessly invading lower-ranked nations.

Half a month later, the Mercury finally returned to Qi Yun Star. Seeing Qi Yun Star safe and sound, Zhong Yun could finally lower the burden in his heart.

Zhong Pingjiang and his wife were immensely relieved to see their son bring Yun Qi back safely. The meticulous Yun Rong noticed the three beautiful women accompanying them and couldn't help but furrow her brow.

Upon meeting, Zhong Yun had no intention of sharing tales of separation; he immediately asked his father, "Dad, has everyone been prepared?"

"Why bring up such matters the moment you arrive?" Yun Rong was slightly displeased; they had only just reunited the family, and not a word had been exchanged.

"There is no more time," Zhong Yun said calmly. "I don't have time to explain now. We can discuss everything aboard the ship."

Seeing the gravity in their son’s tone, Zhong Pingjiang and his wife dared not delay. Along with Xiao Ruo and the others, they followed Yun Qi onto the Mercury. Only Chu Tiange and the other five remained on the ground.

Zhong Yun looked at them. "I gave you the orders. Begin now."

"Yes," the six replied loudly before setting off to carry out their tasks.

After learning of the Ge'an Empire's invasion of other nations, Zhong Yun had begun issuing a series of commands to the people of Qi Yun Star, instructing them to prepare for evacuation. By now, most citizens had relocated to the Mars, including the two million plus brought back from the Death Domain, along with Qi Yun Star's own population of over three million.

After dispatching everyone, Zhong Yun came to the World Tree, gazing at its thick trunk which now occupied the entire lake. He felt a pang of regret; it was a pity the World Tree hadn't matured, otherwise, he could have acquired two seeds.

Regret notwithstanding, Zhong Yun knew he couldn't linger here. The Ge'an Empire was currently targeting the higher-stage Intermediate Civilizations, but they would inevitably come here sooner or later. By then, not only would the World Tree be lost, but they might all be enslaved.

Zhong Yun placed his hand on the trunk of the World Tree and closed his eyes. Strands of violet energy rose from his arm, slowly forming a vortex. On the World Tree trunk, a visible stream of green energy began surging toward the vortex.

Zhong Yun felt a subtle shift; this green energy was not only condensing in his palm but a small portion of it was also seeping into his body, circulating a few times before integrating completely with the Yuan energy within him.

The green energy intensified, causing the immense World Tree to vibrate, which in turn shook the nearby ground. The tremors grew stronger, resembling an earthquake.

Those citizens who hadn't yet boarded the Mars watched fearfully. The intensity of the seismic activity increased—the earth shook mightily, making it impossible to stand steadily.

Zhong Yun, at the center of the vortex, began to suffer internally. As the green energy flowing into his palms grew denser, the energy seeping into his body increased commensurately, quickly overwhelming his internal conversion rate. He felt his body beginning to swell like a balloon.

But he dared not stop. If he did now, this World Tree, perhaps the only one in the universe, would be destroyed. He forced himself to endure, allowing the surging green energy to scour his body.

Boom. A fissure appeared on the ground nearby, followed quickly by more and more cracks stretching into the distance. The bases built on the ground began to tilt, mountains started to crumble—a scene akin to the end of the world.

Fortunately, all the citizens had retreated to the Mars, leaving only Chu Tiange and the five others, who guarded Zhong Yun from a distance, refusing to leave.

At this moment, Zhong Yun was swallowed by a gigantic green vortex; his body was invisible. Chu Tiange and the others nearby, as well as Yun Qi and her group aboard the Mercury, watched the spectacle with their hearts held in their throats.

P: The Great Era officially begins. Please look forward to what comes next. First published