Yang Ying knew that Fourth-Level existences were categorized by the intensity of their spiritual power: Mid-Level (10 Million), Intermediate (30 Million), High-Level (100 Million to 1 Billion), Peak (1 Billion), and Limit (300 Million).

In this brief meeting, Yang Ying discerned that Ya Fei’s spiritual power hovered around ten million, placing her in the High-Level tier of the Fourth Level, not far from the Peak. As for Kalagounis, having fought Ya Fei for millennia, his strength was likely comparable to hers.

For two Fourth-Level beings to have ascended for over ten thousand years and still only be High-Level underscored how arduous the cultivation of spiritual power remained, even for those at the Fourth Level.

It was no secret in the Yulei that many Fourth-Level entities spread belief systems and became known as "gods" for the very purpose of cultivation; faith could augment the spiritual strength of the worshipped.

The mind possessed the power to warp reality; even the minds of mortals held this latent ability, only unable to manifest it due to their frail spiritual reserves. Awakened beings, far surpassing mortals, could wield the power of their minds to influence the external world.

However, when a great number of mortals concentrated their wills into a single focus, they too could generate miraculous power. The essence of faith was the believer entrusting their mind to the object of worship, becoming the worshipper’s strength; the more adherents, the greater the power.

Yet, the lives of mortals were too diverse for absolute devotion to faith; even clerics dedicated to worship harbored personal desires. Furthermore, a crucial spiritual conduit between the follower and the worshipped was often missing, causing most of the mental energy to dissipate during transmission—like crossing vast, layered mountain ranges on foot, arriving exhausted only after immense hardship.

Evidently, the spiritual energy gleaned through faith was impure and weak, requiring a filtering process before a Fourth-Level entity could absorb it, making the efficiency terribly low. This was evidenced by Ya Fei, who, after serving as the patron deity for the Gexing for over ten millennia, basking in the faith of the entire Gexing race, including their Awakened, still remained only at the High-Level of the Fourth.

For Yang Ying, however, such rankings and reliance on faith held no meaning; he had vaulted directly to the Fourth-Level Limit upon his advancement. His sources of spiritual power were the two perfect races: the Gods and the Zerg. The Gods represented external perfection: not only were they all Awakened, possessing spiritual power far beyond mortals, but they also shared the spiritual link of the Path of Kala, where their power converged upon the Supreme Council like great squadrons of aircraft in a rolling torrent, an efficiency far surpassing that of faith. The Zerg represented internal perfection: possessing spiritual linkage without individual consciousness, devoting themselves entirely to the Overmind—no mortal, however devout, could match their piety.

After concluding his discussion with Ya Fei, Yang Ying pondered his own path of cultivation. In just four years, he had risen from an obscure figure to the Fourth-Level Limit, standing at the apex of the galaxy, filling him with profound emotion.

The night was deep when Ya Fei and Xini forced Yang Ying and Dao Feng out onto the external terrace, exchanging a few parting words.

Just as Yang Ying prepared to step into the void, Ya Fei flipped her wrist, tossing out a crystal.

“Here is some information regarding Fourth-Level existences—some local to the Orion Arm, and some from our neighbors in the Perseus Arm. Take it and study it well,” Ya Fei paused, adding, “Until next time.”

“Excellent, this is exactly what we needed. Thank you, Lord Ya Fei. We shall meet again,” Yang Ying caught the crystal, and together with Dao Feng, stepped into the void, their figures instantly flashing away like twin arcs of lightning, vanishing without a trace.

Ya Fei looked up, her gaze seemingly piercing the star-strewn expanse to immense distances, and sighed softly, “I have said all I can, but it seems they are still determined to strike down Kalagounis. I can only share more knowledge with them, hoping it proves useful.”

“Teacher, you mean they intend to kill Kalagounis?” Xinnidi, having been wholly absorbed in her own comprehension, hadn't caught the conversation in the golden hall and sounded surprised by the sudden news.

Ya Fei shook her head, smiling silently, and turned back inside. Seeing her teacher unwilling to elaborate, Xinnidi did not press further and followed immediately.

Yang Ying and Dao Feng materialized in the deep vacuum of outer space, coming to a halt. All around them was boundless emptiness, silent and still.

“The Tibuz Home, a club for Fourth-Level existences. Good, very good! I accept this crystal from Ya Fei; it saves me considerable time.”

Yang Ying plunged his spiritual energy into the crystal, instantly sensing a deluge of information surging toward him. After a brief sorting process that took only one-hundredth of a second, he had fully absorbed everything.

The crystal described the situation of the Tibuz Home clearly: of all its members, only the founder, Tibuz, was a Fourth-Level Peak; the other five consisted of two Mid-Level and two Intermediate Fourth-Levels. The Tibuz Home accounted for nearly a quarter of the entire Fourth-Level circle in the Orion Arm!

They occupied an interstellar metropolis planet named Planet Boyard. Ten thousand years ago, this planet was the territory of the Glenval people. Following their failed assault against the True Human Empire, the Glenval were annihilated. Tibuz then allied with several like-minded individuals and seized the derelict Planet Boyard.

They spent a century restoring the fractured landscape, healing the scars of war. Then, they threw open their doors, welcoming guests from all directions. Anyone with a specialized skill, regardless of race, could immigrate to Boyard. Due to the presence of several Fourth-Level beings, the Tibuz Home commanded great influence. Under these conditions, Planet Boyard recovered its vitality within a thousand years and flourished, becoming a tremendously prosperous interstellar metropolis whose combined strength far exceeded that of a hundred solar systems.

Though the Tibuz Home appeared immensely powerful, Yang Ying felt unconcerned; with his current strength, he needed not fear any power outside the True Human Empire. While his military might wasn't sufficient to conquer the entire Orion Arm, no single faction within it possessed the power to destroy him. At worst, Yang Ying could instantly contain every force within his Floating Continent and flee ten thousand light-years away; with his Fourth-Level Limit capabilities, no place could stop his retreat.

The Floating Continent had expanded to three hundred million square kilometers; housing his fleet of over two hundred thousand vessels was a trivial matter. Yang Ying feared nothing; today, no one would prevent him from eliminating Kalagounis!

Putting away the crystal, he directed his High-Grade Spiritual Sense toward the depths of space—the direction of Planet Boyard, precisely 9,167 light-years distant. He now held a complete star chart of the entire galaxy in his mind; anywhere he looked at the heavens, he would never be lost.

With a gesture, Yang Ying ripped open space, creating a wormhole that led directly to the outer orbit of Planet Boyard.

“An interstellar metropolis is truly extraordinary. The ships entering and exiting are like an endless, flowing river, yet perfectly orderly.”

What greeted Yang Ying was an endless nightless planet; one hemisphere bathed in the light of its star, while the dark half was brilliantly illuminated by dazzling artificial lights that competed with the stars.

With his High-Grade Spiritual Sense, Yang Ying easily detected four incandescent spheres of surging spiritual power on the planet, burning brightly like torches on a vast plain.

One, three, four—a total of four! Gathered together!

“Hmm, it seems someone is not home. As for these four here…” Wait, there it was—that feeling. Over two years ago, when Longe sparred with me, he utilized a similar energy, but this presence is qualitatively superior to Longe’s—a fundamental difference. Kalagounis, you truly have come here.” At a distance of merely a few hundred thousand kilometers, which was like standing face-to-face for a Fourth-Level entity, Yang Ying’s gaze penetrated the atmosphere, the clouds, the thick walls, and everything obscuring his view, finally spotting Kalagounis!

He was a Kustar native nearly two-and-a-half meters tall, his muscles knotted and angular, solid as bedrock yet brimming with explosive power. An ancient, rugged aura enveloped him, making him seem like an entity from the primordial age.

Having located his target, Yang Ying laughed inwardly. He and Dao Feng transformed into twin arcs of lightning, plunging into the atmosphere. In the next instant, they appeared before the four Fourth-Level beings.

The gathering place of Fourth-Level entities was indeed extraordinary: a breathtakingly opulent palace built atop a towering, cloud-piercing peak, aloof from the world, looking down upon everything. Every carved railing and jade inlay within the palace was exquisitely detailed, leaving no flaw to criticize. This could truly be called a temple—a palace fit for gods!

“Who goes there!” Kalagounis was the first to detect the intrusion. Upon clearly seeing Yang Ying and Dao Feng, he exclaimed, “It’s you! Earthlings!”

The other three Fourth-Level beings turned their gazes. All were High-Level Third-Levels, their eyes carrying varying degrees of surprise. Yang Ying and Dao Feng appearing before them so suddenly clearly indicated they were Fourth-Level existences.

A Fourth-Level being with skin the color of emerald, whose hair resembled vines and whose eyes were like black gems, stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kalagounis, and addressed Yang Ying and Dao Feng: “I am Filoye. You are Earthlings? Earthlings from the Sol System? Have two Fourth-Level beings emerged from your race at once? I recall your kind has a feud with Lord Kalagounis. What business do you two have coming to the Tibuz Home?”