Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

This proved that the other party’s actions were neither accidental nor coincidental. They were specifically targeting civilizations!

The planet destroyed today might be a mysterious, unseen world on the far side of the galaxy, but tomorrow, it could be their own.

If their planet was truly destroyed, its billions of inhabitants would be annihilated in an instant, becoming a great ball of fire, light, and heat. At that point, not even Li Chang’an would be able to escape unscathed.

Upon this realization, many voices arose within the Godslayer Alliance, all demanding that Li Chang’an recall the spacecraft he had dispatched.

They argued that a pair of mysterious, unfathomable eyes were likely watching from the boundless void. Under these circumstances, for the Godslayer Alliance to continue sending out ships to explore would obviously increase their risk of exposure.

But after long consideration, Li Chang’an did not order the fleet to return. Instead, he let them continue their voyage of exploration, hoping to find more information on the surrounding star systems.

Many couldn’t understand this decision. However, Li Chang’an’s current power and status were far beyond their reach. Even if some felt resentful, they dared not show the slightest hint of it.

...

In this life, Li Chang’an’s true form was a being born of heaven and earth. He possessed an incredibly long lifespan and was, in comparison to short-lived humans, a true long-lived species.

Furthermore, now that his cultivation in two Taoist Sects had reached the apex, his lifespan had become even longer.

His thought processes were forced to slow down, and even periods of time that had once felt immensely long began to pass by without a stir.

In the year 18,332 of the Fusang Calendar, Li Chang’an turned three thousand years old.

He was still clad in robes whiter than snow, a solitary figure in the world.

As stellar exploration accelerated over the years, the Godslayer Alliance had begun to establish settlements on other relatively habitable planets, officially entering an interstellar age.

The group that had initially opposed Li Chang’an’s exploration of space had all but withered away. The new generation of humans, with Li Chang’an’s deliberate encouragement, had become far more adventurous, constantly preparing for voyages into the cosmic sea.

However, just as this world’s civilization was rapidly advancing...

A colossal interstellar spacecraft, vast enough to nearly blot out the sky, suddenly appeared above the planet.

The ship extended a massive metal ring. The ring spun a few times in the sky, then emitted a piercing BEEP BEEP BEEP.

The stealth and technological sophistication of this spacecraft were clearly more than a level above anything the Godslayer Alliance currently possessed.

So much so that a vessel of this immense size had already entered the planet’s atmosphere before any of the Godslayer Alliance’s warning systems detected it.

It wasn’t until someone spotted it with the naked eye and heard the jarring alarm from the ship that they discovered such a terrifying visitor looming overhead.

When they saw the sky-blotting warship slowly open its outer armor, releasing clusters of smaller, alien-looking ships like a hen laying eggs, everyone on the Godslayer Alliance’s planet held their breath.

Even an ordinary person who knew nothing of such things could, in the instant they saw the enemy fleet deploy, realize just how vast the technological gap was between them and the Godslayer Alliance.

It was no exaggeration to say that, before this force, they were no different from primitive people who had just mastered fire.

The fleet deployed, revealing cold cannon barrels that aimed at and locked onto the Godslayer Alliance below. The main warship, meanwhile, targeted the entire planet, seemingly ready to annihilate it completely at any moment.

Just as everyone was trembling in fear...

Li Chang’an, who had been cultivating in the Temple, finally appeared before the spacecraft. When he saw the unmistakable insignia of the Liyang Empire on the enemy fleet, it was impossible to describe the complex feelings in his heart.

’The Liyang Empire of the past was just one of the countless, unremarkable minor worlds under the Immortal Palace. Because of my arrival, the Liyang Empire began its meteoric rise.’

’I never thought that after a few of my transmigrations, they would have grown to this extent, producing interstellar spacecraft capable of destroying an entire planet...’

Composing himself, Li Chang’an spoke. ”You’re a fleet from the Liyang Empire?”

After hearing Li Chang’an, the fleet was silent for a moment before someone replied, ”We are Liyang Empire Interstellar Fleet 3306. We are responsible for monitoring small-scale Dark Energy tides that may exist in space. Our scans show that the Dark Energy concentration on your planet exceeds standard limits. Please state the reason and provide evidence. Otherwise, the fleet is authorized to take any and all measures, including planetary annihilation!”

’Such an overbearing declaration. Power really is the ultimate advantage!’

Li Chang’an’s expression didn’t change. He said coolly, ”Apologies, but before I answer your questions, please answer a few of mine.”

The other side fell silent for a moment, then quickly responded, ”Permitted. But no more than three questions.”

Without hesitation, Li Chang’an asked his first question. ”So it was you who destroyed the Celestial Realm spacecraft and the unknown planet not far from us?”

Hearing his question, the ship fell silent again before giving a brief reply: ”The ’Celestial Realm spacecraft’ you refer to were likely several interstellar pirates who escaped from Planet 3087. According to the interstellar legal treaties established by the Imperial Federation, they were suspected of twelve crimes, including armed robbery and illegal mining of prohibited minerals...”

”Furthermore, they were spreading Dark Energy and disrupting the order of the universe. Any one of the above charges is a capital offense. In accordance with legal treaties and the procedures of the Interstellar Joint Charter, immediate execution was the optimal solution!”

The voice from the ship was utterly cold.

From the moment they arrived, they had already used various methods to scan the entire planet and the Godslayer Alliance. To the Imperial Fleet, everything about this world—including Li Chang’an himself, its human cultures, its Cultivation System, and even its geological structure—was completely transparent.

Li Chang’an didn’t dwell on the matter of the spacecraft. After all, he knew what kind of scum had been on board. His question was merely a probe to gauge the current state of the Liyang Empire.

Now that he had his answer, he nodded and changed the subject. ”Fine. That crew got what they deserved. But what about the planet? My fleet sent men to investigate, and the entire place has been turned into a sea of fire!”

In response to his renewed questioning, the fleet’s reply was once again brief and swift: ”Planet 7442 was contaminated by the Dark Energy deliberately spread by that band of interstellar pirates. Its core had been corrupted. If it wasn’t destroyed, the Dark Energy would have consumed everything and become a new source of infection. We relocated all life from Planet 7442 and found them a new home with a similar physiological environment. Destroying the planet was, again, the optimal solution after considering all options.”

Hearing their explanation, Li Chang’an nodded in acceptance. He then asked his final question: ”I am aware of Dark Energy’s existence. But what exactly is Dark Energy?”

As soon as he asked this, the silence from the fleet lasted longer than for the first two questions combined. After a long while, they replied: ”We cannot answer that question. You may ask another. For example, you could answer for the source of that small clump of Dark Energy you have hidden away.”

Li Chang’an had been concentrating, eager to hear how they would answer the question about Dark Energy, but he never expected them to simply bypass it.

This left him somewhat disappointed.

But the difference in power between them was immense. If they were unwilling to speak, he had no way to force them. So, he set the matter aside for now, hoping for another chance to learn the truth in the future.

Hearing their question, he said, ”I didn’t hide that mass of energy intentionally. It also came from those interstellar pirates.”

”After I killed one of them, I refined his body into a ball of Essence Energy. However, because I was afraid some residual Dark Energy hadn’t been fully purged, I chose not to absorb it and instead placed it in a hidden location.”

...