The First Fleet of the He Empire, carrying their Emperor and Empress, arrived on the outskirts of the battlefield ruins that had nearly destroyed the entire A-Star System, months later.

However, an unforeseen situation arose. Before they could even approach the battlefield ruins, the Mercury blared a piercing alarm, forcing them to halt.

Investigating the cause, they discovered that the spatial energy in this region was dangerously unstable; entering it would expose them to immense peril.

“What now?” Zhong Yun pressed his fingers to his temples, appealing to Xiao Ling for guidance.

This condition, he surmised, must be a lingering consequence of that ancient war, having thoroughly disrupted the very fabric of space and caused this energy fluctuation.

“The energy shield is more than capable of resisting this level of energy turbulence,” Xiao Ling assured him.

Zhong Yun tapped his forehead. “No, that won't work. Reaching the coordinates you mentioned will take at least ten more days, consuming two-thirds of our reserves. What about the return journey?”

Sustaining the energy shield continuously for ten days required an astronomical amount of power; this solution was impractical.

“If only the Mercury were smaller,” Zhong Yun muttered. The larger the vessel, the more energy the protective shield demanded. If the Mercury were just one-third smaller, they would have ample power for the round trip.

Besides the Star, the other ten warships also possessed energy shields, but their storage capacity was significantly less, making a round trip equally impossible.

There was only one option left. They would have to return, unload everything from the Mercury, and reload it exclusively with energy cores. That might just suffice.

But Zhong Yun was already desperately eager to return; another month of travel was unbearable. Finally, he made a decision: he instructed Yun Qi to lead the fleet back while he alone piloted the Qing Ying ahead.

The Qing Ying’s energy shield was sufficient to sustain him until he reached the spatial conduit within the ruins. They would rendezvous in the Milky Way Galaxy one month hence.

Though Yun Qi was reluctant for him to venture in alone, she could not dissuade him, and eventually, she reluctantly agreed.

Zhong Yun thus separated from the main body, piloting the Qing Ying solo into the battlefield ruins. Within, there were no discernible celestial bodies. He maximized his sensors while engaging the maximum speed setting.

The deeper he traveled, the more chaotic the free-floating spatial energy became. Fortunately, the Qing Ying’s shielding was exceptional. Before the energy reserves depleted, he finally reached the spatial conduit Xiao Ling had indicated.

A spatial conduit is a rare cosmic phenomenon, resembling a black hole but lacking its violent gravitational pull. It is more stable and convenient than a standard warp point.

However, its appearance is highly fortuitous, and over time, these conduits slowly shrink until they vanish.

The one at the capital of the Red Feather Federation was an artificially created miniature conduit. Such technology was impossible for a high-level civilization to possess; it was most likely salvaged from some "Golden Ruin."

Zhong Yun dared not enter rashly. Instead, he first deployed a micro-robot equipped with a spatial sensor.

After waiting for several minutes, he received a signal from the tiny drone: it had passed through safely, and there was no danger on the other side.

Only then did Zhong Yun pilot the Qing Ying, transforming into a streak of light as he passed through the spatial conduit.

Appearing on the other side, a surge of excitement washed over Zhong Yun. He had finally crossed untold light-years and returned to his homeworld in the Milky Way—Earth was now within reach.

After Xiao Ling was discovered and taken away on Earth, she had flown for nearly ten years, traversing countless warp points and crossing unknown distances of light-years before arriving at the Dawu Federation, a minor nation situated within what was termed the "Civilization Sphere."

According to Xiao Ling’s estimation, Earth was separated from the Dawu Federation by at least one hundred million light-years, lying far outside the so-called "Civilization Sphere," making its discovery exceedingly difficult.

By conventional means, the only way back to Earth was to locate the nation that originally dispatched the fleet to find Xiao Ling—the only way to find the path home.

And Zhong Yun now knew that nation: the soaring Hanyu Empire, which had just ascended to the fifth stage of high civilization.

If Zhong Yun had foolishly purchased an interstellar chart of Earth from the Hanyu Empire, it would be tantamount to announcing, What you seek is here.

Attempting to take it by force was folly; the Galactic Empire could not hope to challenge the Hanyu Empire, currently at the pinnacle of civilization, for several hundred years.

Fortunately, there was this spatial conduit. Zhong Yun suspected that Xiao Ling had discovered this passage during her third system reboot in the Dead Zone, but she had only informed him now.

It was impossible for Zhong Yun not to feel a twinge of resentment, yet Xiao Ling had acted for his own good, leaving no room for his anger to take root.

After a moment of reflection, Zhong Yun did not neglect the main objective. He established contact with Xiao Ling to confirm their relative positions. Almost instantly, Xiao Ling sent back a number: they were separated by twenty-five billion light-years.

Seeing that figure, Zhong Yun gasped. Even if he possessed Earth’s exact coordinates, flying from the Galactic Empire, he might not arrive before Earth itself had perished.

Xiao Ling still remembered the route taken to Earth and transmitted the trajectory to Zhong Yun.

Zhong Yun wasted no time and followed the plotted course. Xiao Ling and her master had clearly been fleeing recklessly after suffering severe damage. After numerous twists and turns, Zhong Yun finally spotted the beautiful blue planet on the twentieth day.

Gazing at the stunningly beautiful, azure world, Zhong Yun’s eyes moistened. In an instant, countless memories he thought were buried flashed through his mind…

As Earth grew closer, Zhong Yun wiped his eyes, careful not to forget to engage the Qing Ying’s stealth mode.

He evaded the satellites orbiting Earth, and as he passed a space station, he even waved toward it.

The Qing Ying slowed its speed and entered the atmosphere. The Eastern Hemisphere was currently cloaked in night.

The Qing Ying landed in the outskirts of a large city on the eastern coast of Asia. Stepping out of the cockpit, Zhong Yun closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The night breeze brushed his skin, carrying a hint of desolation.

It was the scent of a familiar autumn.

After a long moment punctuated by the sound of human voices, Zhong Yun opened his eyes and deactivated the conspicuous, oversized Qing Ying. After a moment’s thought, he walked toward the source of the sound.

“Excuse me…” Having been away from Mandarin for so long, Zhong Yun’s accent was slightly off.

A beam of light flashed, bathing Zhong Yun. Despite facing the light, through the sparse moonlight, Zhong Yun could clearly make out the figures before him.

This group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys and girls, dressed in school uniforms, stared with wide eyes and looks of utter shock, clearly startled by Zhong Yun’s sudden appearance.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Zhong Yun said, his native tongue slightly distorted.

One of them couldn't help it and let out a sharp giggle.

Seeing that Zhong Yun seemed neither like a spectral entity nor a group of nocturnal muggers, the vibrant youths became bolder. A taller boy stepped forward. “Who are you? Why are you on the hill behind the school?”

Hearing his familiar mother tongue after more than a decade warmed Zhong Yun’s heart. He walked toward them with a kind smile. He had thoughtfully packed several sets of casual clothing before departing, so he wouldn't look like an alien—though he essentially was one.

“I’m an alumnus. I just came back for a visit to my alma mater. You must be students here?”

Zhong Yun’s friendliness quickly lowered their guard. Hearing he was an alumnus only made them more curious. One asked, “Which class are you from?” “Did you come back for this anniversary celebration?”

“I graduated in ’07.”

“No way, you don’t look a day under thirty.” They clearly didn't believe him.

Zhong Yun chuckled, not dwelling on the issue, and asked, “Which anniversary is it this year?”

“The one hundred and eleventh,” someone replied.

Zhong Yun’s heart skipped a beat. Twenty-five years. Twenty-five years had passed. He remembered that the year he graduated marked the eighty-sixth anniversary celebration, the event where he met his first love.

Zhong Yun had no desire for idle chatter and soon took his leave. Behind him, he could hear the playful laughter of several female students, “We didn't see a ghost, but we ran into a handsome uncle…”

Leaving his old high school, he walked toward his home. His hometown had changed dramatically, but he could still find the location of his family residence.

However, where the familiar small building once stood, everything had been transformed; the house was gone, replaced by a new residential complex.

Zhong Yun sighed in frustration, wondering where his parents might have moved. He glanced at the deserted street and decided he would have to make inquiries tomorrow.

With that thought, Zhong Yun found a secluded, uninhabited spot, rose into the air, and half an hour later, landed on the roof of a skyscraper in the heart of the most prosperous southern metropolis, one hundred kilometers away.

Within minutes, Zhong Yun stood on the bustling street. Although it was past midnight, the area was still brightly lit, with shops still open for business. The main avenues were choked with traffic, flowing ceaselessly, just as they had been over two decades ago.

This city was unchanged from twenty years prior—still prosperous, frantic, and steeped in indulgence.

Zhong Yun wandered enthusiastically for over an hour. Passing a famous brand store, he was about to step inside when he instinctively patted his empty pockets, realizing he needed to secure some funds first.

Just then, a fiery red luxury sports car roared past him. Zhong Yun’s gaze sharpened. With a loud thump and a screech of grinding friction, the sports car ahead smoked from all four tires and skidded to a halt.

“Need assistance?” Zhong Yun walked over and, upon seeing the occupant, his expression flickered with surprise. He had fully expected the driver of such an ostentatious luxury car to be some rich second-generation heir. Instead, the person in the driver’s seat was a woman dressed in the height of fashion.

He cursed his bad luck inwardly. If it had been a man, he would have ensured a hefty payout. But extorting a woman whom he held no grudge against was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

“My car seems to have broken down. Could you call me a tow truck?” The woman studied Zhong Yun carefully, seeing no hint of malice, before rolling down her window.

“No need.” Zhong Yun pretended to inspect the wheels, crouching down theatrically.

At that moment, a white van pulled up beside the red sports car. The door slid open with a whoosh, and four or five burly men jumped out. Before the sports car's owner could react, they reached through the window and dragged her entire body out.