ABRIWMTHM Chapter 121

Shi Xing was surprised.

He stared wide-eyed at the priestess.

But the priestess was calm; this was the result of her long calculations and repeated entries into the time flow.

Aside from that, she couldn’t think of any reason a royal beast would risk enduring the chaotic energy flow to enter.

The battle between the Twin Star Galaxy and the royal beasts had lasted a hundred years. The colonies of royal beasts and the large troops they led had been crushed and eliminated by the unity of the Twin Star Galaxy. In the final battle, both sides had suffered heavy losses; the royal beasts escaped with a few high-ranking star beasts, while in the Twin Star Galaxy, the prime minister of the Alliance had passed away a few days prior, and next would be the two rulers of the Empire.

Both sides had paid a tremendous price, separated by a sea of blood and deep-seated grievances.

In this situation, if it were for revenge and they were to make a comeback, the first stop clearly wouldn’t be Blue Star.

Blue Star was most famous for its healing abilities.

“Do you know how long a star beast can live?”

Shi Xing was confused.

The priestess provided an answer: “According to current observations, there are star beasts that can live for over a thousand years.”

“Due to their unique migration and destructive habits, it’s hard for us to trace a star beast’s entire life and obtain data on its natural lifespan.”

“But that’s fine; let’s assume a thousand years.”

“If a star beast remains healthy without illness or injury, it can survive for a thousand years.”

“The royal beast is currently less than four hundred years old, not even halfway through the average lifespan of star beasts. I think it wouldn’t be willing to just die like that.”

“In our galaxy, intelligent life has an average lifespan of 300 years; reaching 150 years signifies the initial rise of politicians and the wisest stage for military leaders. To die in their prime is something anyone would find hard to accept.”

High-ranking star beasts are also intelligent beings and wouldn’t be an exception.

Moreover, it had already formed such a massive colony before.

Having led beast packs to destroy more than one galaxy, with such “glorious achievements,” it must be even less willing to easily submit to fate’s arrangement.

Shi Xing opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.

Especially when thinking about the history of Blue Star, combined with the priestess’s deduction, he quickly understood Blue Star’s decision after the arrival of the royal beast.

This disaster was caused by Blue Star’s refusal to heal the royal beast.

The priestess sighed, “It’s a pity; a hundred years of defensive battles has left Blue Star severely weakened, and we no longer have any existing guardians.”

If there were still existences like Shi Xing, with the current state of the royal beast, even if it was a struggle, there would still be a chance to fight back.

Unfortunately…

After sighing, the priestess quickly snapped out of her melancholy and turned to Shi Xing, asking, “Would you like to wander around your birthplace? The mother trees are especially warm towards you.”

Looking at the boundless mother trees, the priestess smiled and said, “The mother trees have always been very warm towards me; it’s said on Blue Star that the priestess and the guardian are the two greatest creations of the mother trees—perhaps it’s true.”

Shi Xing nodded.

Walking up to a mother tree, Shi Xing asked, “Can I touch it?”

“Of course.”

Shi Xing placed his hand on the trunk of the mother tree, feeling a familiar yet strange mental power.

The familiarity was because he had sensed similar fluctuations every day in the tree nest.

And the strangeness was that Shi Xing discovered that each mother tree was different; the frequencies of their mental powers varied. These were all mother trees, but none were the one he was born from.

He began to miss the tree nest a little.

Some branches drooped, and leaves brushed against Shi Xing’s cheek.

The first mother tree did this, and the other mother trees seemed to compete, secretly doing the same as Shi Xing passed by. Even when the priestess forbade it, the mischievous mother trees couldn’t resist, as leaves occasionally flitted down onto Shi Xing when the priestess wasn’t looking.

The priestess helplessly said, “Sorry, they must be sensing familiar energy from you.”

“The mother tree that birthed you has just been transplanted; they must miss her.”

Stopping at one spot, Shi Xing looked at the pit marks on the ground, sensing familiar energy fluctuations—it was…

“This is the place where the mother tree that was transplanted from the Empire was previously planted.”

Shi Xing murmured, “I can feel it.”

Getting closer, the energy danced at Shi Xing’s fingertips before fading into the ground.

“There should still be some root systems below; during the transplant, only the main root was left, while the fine root hairs and branches were pruned. What you’re sensing is probably the residual energy that she left in the land.”

The priestess replied, “However, soon, they will assimilate with the other mother trees.”

Shi Xing nodded, crouching down to touch the earth, and indeed sensed a more abundant familiar energy; it seemed to flow towards him as if greeting him.

The two would naturally chat about the differences between the Empire and Blue Star.

Especially the changes in mother trees and blue fruits on both sides, the priestess would ask, and Shi Xing would have questions.

Learning that the Empire had established a tree nest and that their contract with the imperial royal family within the mental sea was very effective, the priestess finally felt a bit of comfort.

But upon hearing that Blue Star humans who left the energy-rich environment could only survive half their lifespan after reaching maturity, her smile turned bitter again.

“I’m sorry; this is already the best we can do in a short amount of time.”

“To retain the people of this planet and preserve the fire of Blue Star, there will always be some things we can’t fully account for; I apologize.”

Shi Xing didn’t blame the priestess or Blue Star.

In such a hurried timeframe, accomplishing the contract, discussing a series of nurturing conditions, and addressing the growth issues of Blue Star humans in the Empire was already quite difficult.

If Blue Star hadn’t refused to heal the royal beasts, it wouldn’t have fallen to the point of disappearance, Shi Xing thought.

“Did you… not consider seeking help from other planets?”

Shi Xing suddenly asked, a hint of expectation in his eyes that he didn’t even understand.

The priestess smiled down, her smile not reaching her eyes, “We thought about it early on, but you know, Blue Star’s conditions are unique; even if we sought help, reinforcements wouldn’t be able to reach Blue Star. We can’t have them stationed in their battleships surrounding Blue Star day in and day out, can we?”

“Furthermore, we do not know the current combat capabilities of the royal beasts, nor how they arrived at Blue Star. I have attempted many methods, but none revealed a path. I believe this must be an unchangeable fate in the time flow, otherwise, I wouldn’t struggle even to explore.”

“Only in an unchangeable time flow can there be a path that cannot be disturbed.”

“And my ability regarding the time flow is itself a variable. The laws have their fixed operational order, with places that no one can reach.”

“Afterwards, I did further attempts, which further confirmed the uniqueness of the path.”

“After my calls for help, the time flow remained stable, unified, and unique.”

“After discussion, we unanimously decided to spend the last moments on more meaningful things.”

“Such as transplanting mother trees, preserving civilization, and figuring out methods to break through the predicament, allowing Blue Star to recover.”

Shi Xing asked, “Have you thought of anything?”

The priestess apologetically replied, “Nothing specific yet.”

The priestess continued, “Perhaps it’s time for you and me to talk about the changes in the future. What changes have happened with the star beasts? Are they still as brutal and hard to kill as they are now?”

A wave of energy fluctuations passed overhead, attracting Shi Xing’s attention, and he lifted his head.

He heard the language of Blue Star.

The priestess also noticed, following his gaze upwards to see two blue fruits communicating, “Oh, they’re about to mature and be born. Later, blue fruits will communicate with each other energetically, and after learning the language, this habit will gradually change.”

No wonder the Blue Star humans also have a concept of siblings; before birth, they must already know who the surrounding blue fruits are.

Thinking of the group of star beasts that came looking for him, Shi Xing looked at the priestess with a sad expression.

The priestess felt something, her smile momentarily paused.

“I have seen the developing colony of the royal beasts again. Their biggest change is probably… they’ve learned the unique energy communication patterns of Blue Star humans.”

The story was long, needing to start from the beginning.

After visiting the birthplace, the priestess took Shi Xing to a nearby gathering place.

Due to the presence of the mother trees, there were no similar city structures nearby; this area had entirely retained Blue Star’s pure primitive ecology.

Considering that during every general assembly meeting, all Blue Star humans could buy a set of housing here with star coins at a very low price, ensuring that everyone has a comfortable living experience during the planetary conference.

The priestess took Shi Xing to her own house.

On the way, they encountered several Blue Star humans. Shi Xing noticed that, just as Chi Yao had said, Blue Star humans had different skin colors, appearances, and features; they were not overly uniform as in the Empire.

The reason, of course, was that there was more than one mother tree on Blue Star; lives birthed from the same mother tree would have similar physical traits.

As Shi Xing passed by, the Blue Star humans, upon seeing his state, were slightly surprised, then nodded at the priestess beside him, treating him as if they didn’t see him.

“They know you’re the one I brought back; they won’t interact with you to avoid disturbing the time flow.”

Shi Xing then remembered the child named Lily, who also hadn’t said anything to him.

Upon arriving at the priestess’s doorstep, she beckoned Shi Xing inside, surprised by what she saw. “A mutated star beast?”

“How do you define that?”

Shi Xing recited what he had studied.

The priestess furrowed her brow, “Mental power can penetrate the mental sea…”

Understanding something, the priestess suddenly said, “I’m sorry.”

Shi Xing was puzzled, “Is there no mutated star beast now? Why apologize suddenly?”

The priestess said, “You go on, and after you finish, I’ll tell you mine.”

Shi Xing hesitated but nodded.

They chatted until afternoon; being an energy entity, Shi Xing didn’t need to eat. The priestess simply had a meal midway. Later, when someone came looking for her, she declined, saying she had an important guest.

When Shi Xing spoke about using his second talent, Devour, for the first time before arriving, the priestess couldn’t help but rub her temples with her fingers, then said again, “I truly apologize.”

“I thought if we didn’t heal the royal beast, the subsequent matters wouldn’t happen, but who knew it still caused so many troubles for everyone…”

Shi Xing was confused.

Only then did the priestess clarify for him, stating with certainty:

“Mutated star beasts should originate from Blue Star.”

“They are the descendants birthed from the royal beasts on Blue Star.”

“The destructive nature of the mental power of star beasts is extremely strong; it’s impossible for them to make any transitions towards healing, but the Blue Star environment will definitely affect the offspring of star beasts. Given their reproductive abilities, the first generation of mutations must have occurred on Blue Star due to the influence of its environment over the course of more than 150 years.”

“As for the other mutated star beasts you’ve seen, they are likely the offspring of the royal beasts that left Blue Star and hybridized with other star beasts.”

The priestess expressed her regret, “They are probably very hard to kill; I’m sorry.”

Shi Xing replied, “There’s no need to apologize; you couldn’t have anticipated this outcome.”

The priestess said, “I thought that as long as… it would delay the restoration of the royal beast. Who knew it recovered after all?”

Shi Xing was stunned, “It recovered?”

The priestess said, “I don’t know how it managed to do that; perhaps there are some solutions existing on Blue Star. But in any case, if its beast core were still shattered, it wouldn’t be able to survive long enough for its descendants to find you.”

Shi Xing hesitated, “So it’s not here to heal?”

This aligned with the discussions he had with Chi Yao.

Shi Xing further asked, “If it’s not for healing, then what is it for?”

The priestess said, “Let me think.”

Having just listened to an entire century’s worth of stories from the future, the priestess needed to consolidate her thoughts.

Shi Xing nodded.

The room fell silent.

The priestess clenched her fists on the table, her forehead lightly resting on her fingers.

Shi Xing remained quietly waiting, silently giving the priestess time to think.

“I know now.”

After an unknown period, the priestess lifted her head.

“It needs Blue Star humans—strong Blue Star humans.”

This statement echoed what the star beasts who found Shi Xing had said.

Thinking through something, the priestess took paper and pencil and drew the environment surrounding Blue Star for Shi Xing.

“Outside of Blue Star is full of chaotic energy flow, but that doesn’t mean there’s no energy surging on Blue Star. On the contrary, Blue Star is enveloped in energy; the atmosphere, matter, and everything on Blue Star can’t escape the nourishment of energy.”

“Thus, even if Blue Star has shifted its position, the characteristics of the planet wouldn’t change in a short time.”

“In other words, even if Blue Star has moved, it has shifted from one energy band to another. Only through such massive energy collisions can the conditions to activate a super-sized wormhole be provided, which is also how Blue Star supports the entire planet’s spatial traversal.”

“Normal people from Blue Star cannot enter, nor can normal star beasts.”

“Even if the royal beast managed to enter the atmosphere relying on the physical strength of star beasts, in the battle against us, it certainly wouldn’t have the strength to leave Blue Star again.”

The priestess looked at Shi Xing, her eyes shining, “It needs you to take it away from Blue Star.”

Shi Xing couldn’t make sense of it, “But why can the mutated star beasts leave Blue Star?”

The priestess answered, “Mutated ones should be one reason, and there’s another reason: they have grown in the environment of Blue Star.”

Shi Xing said, “Then can’t they take the royal beast away?”

The priestess realized she had omitted a key point.

The priestess explained: “I previously mentioned, our bodies are ‘soft’ concerning the chaotic energy flow. Conversely, the stronger the physical constitution, the more ‘rigid’ a living being becomes towards energy flows, right?”

Shi Xing nodded.

The priestess continued, “The chaotic energy flow exists outside of Blue Star, and there’s thick encasement in the atmosphere; it has a characteristic that when it encounters our bodies, there will be no change in energy direction. However, once it encounters an object that cannot be penetrated, it quickly gathers energy and forms a highly destructive, targeted attack.”

“It may have tried before, but after all, the descendants of star beasts aren’t Blue Star humans. The barrier cannot withstand the impact of the chaotic energy flow. The low-ranking clan members we found from the Empire were vulnerable because they grew up in the Empire. During the process, they may have faced energy body damage due to their inability to adapt, leading to death. Thus…”

At this moment, the priestess finally understood the essence of Shi Xing’s preservation as the flame of civilization.

She regarded Shi Xing, enlightened in this predicament.

“Only our strong, devouring guardian can take it through the chaotic energy flow.”

“Releasing it from Blue Star’s captivity.”

Noticing something, Shi Xing became serious, “But I can’t let it go, right? If the military cannot enter, how should I kill it?”

The royal beast, which caused such turmoil in the Twin Star Galaxy and led to Chi Yao’s parents’ deaths, Shi Xing couldn’t possibly let it go.

Just as Blue Star humans couldn’t agree to its demands, Shi Xing also couldn’t agree to its request to take it away from Blue Star.

The priestess said, “Wait a moment, let me consult myself.”

Shi Xing wondered, “?”

In the next moment, Shi Xing understood what the priestess meant.

Because the priestess, in front of him, separated her energy entity from her body and directly entered the time flow.

After this inquiry, several hours passed.

By the time the priestess’s energy entity returned, the outside world had darkened.

The priestess glanced at the time, her first reaction was, “Oh no, I didn’t control the time well.”

“I apologize; conversing with oneself in the time flow is the most basic and easiest thing.”

“Right now, I can’t think of anything, but once you leave, regarding the information you left, I’m sure I’ll think of more.”

“Therefore, I need to ask my future self.”

Shi Xing exclaimed, “Is the priestess’s application of the laws of time so astonishing?”

The priestess smiled and shook her head, “It’s only convenient to communicate with myself. Bringing you back took quite a bit of effort.”

After looking at the time again, the priestess said, “There’s not much time left, so I’ll directly state the result.”

“The royal beast is powerful; the current you is definitely no match for it and its newly formed colony.”

“I consulted several points in time within myself, during the moment of extinction of life on Blue Star, and I remembered, she said…”

The priestess paused, Shi Xing was taken aback when he noticed energy starting to radiate from his body.

The priestess helplessly but confidently said, “Your time has come.”

The priestess added, “She didn’t manage to tell me what it was; it probably won’t be revealed until the moment of my death.”

“But the information remains.”

The world around Shi Xing began to collapse, and everything was moving at high speed around him.

The priestess finally said, “Don’t force it. When you return to Blue Star, all the answers will naturally reveal themselves before your eyes.”

She quickly supplemented, “By the way, the limit of the Devour talent is the limit of the guardian’s physical endurance. As long as you ensure your body isn’t damaged by the talent, leading to complete disintegration of your body, you can continue using that ability.”

The priestess smiled at Shi Xing, feeling relieved.

“We have already preserved the flame of civilization; when Blue Star returns to the galaxy it was born in, everything prosperous will be restarted.”

“Goodbye.”

The priestess’s figure before Shi Xing became blurred, then was eroded by dreamy hues and vanished.

Perhaps he hadn’t experienced these times, or perhaps this was the priestess’s power, not Shi Xing’s.

In any case, Shi Xing no longer saw the revolving lantern-like scene.

With just a blink, he returned to the mountaintop.

All the energy that had been rushing towards Shi Xing had vanished.

Only a few scattered energies still existed in the air, rushing towards him.

Shi Xing raised his hand; his fingertips had already disintegrated, revealing white bones.

However, as most of the energy was consumed by the laws of time, he witnessed a miraculous scene. His damaged skin, infused with adequate mental power, rapidly regenerated in a short period.

The process was extraordinarily wondrous; Shi Xing could feel the regeneration of flesh and blood coming after the skin and bones…

“Xing Xing!” Suddenly, a hand seized Shi Xing’s wrist.

To Chi Yao and Fei Chu, everything was an entirely different story.

The storm of energy swept over Shi Xing, constantly rushing towards him. Chi Yao wanted to make Shi Xing stop but couldn’t get close at all.

So they could only watch as the storm of energy engulfed Shi Xing’s figure.

For a moment, in the distorted space caused by the energy, Chi Yao hazily saw Shi Xing disappear.

His heart shrank in an instant.

But as the intensity of the storm lessened, Shi Xing’s figure re-emerged.

Perhaps frightened by the previous scene, or perhaps overwhelmed by an unexplainable fear, Chi Yao didn’t wait for the storm to cease; he directly rushed towards Shi Xing.

The storm was nearing its end; the initial few steps were difficult, but with each step, Chi Yao grew faster until he grasped Shi Xing.

“Xing Xing!” Chi Yao called out.

In that moment, physically touching Shi Xing, Chi Yao understood what it meant to have survived a calamity.

His mood swung deeply like a rollercoaster, causing Chi Yao to say nothing, only stubbornly fixating on Shi Xing.

Staring at him, who disobeyed, yet pushed away their partner to protect everyone.

The combination of sourness and joy was overwhelming, leaving Chi Yao unable to grasp the full complexity of his feelings.

“Your Highness?”

Shi Xing was dazed.

Then a smile broke out on his face, happily exclaiming, “Your Highness!”

However, just as he started to move, the aftereffects of the energy traversal struck; too much energy flowed through his body, and Shi Xing staggered before collapsing without saying a word.

“Shi Xing!”

“Xing Xing!”

“Hey, why did he fall?!”

Everyone who had just climbed up behind shouted.

Chi Yao caught Shi Xing and called for Er Ya to examine him.

Er Ya was also anxious, almost sprinting to Shi Xing before using her mental power to probe.

When her hand touched Shi Xing, Er Ya exclaimed, “Huh?”

Chi Yao asked, “?”

Everyone echoed, “?”

Fei Chu was panicking, “You need to say something!”

Er Ya replied, “He seems to be fine; his mental sea and body are both doing well; he…”

“It seems he doesn’t have a fever?”

After checking Shi Xing’s forehead and having her hand linger on his skin for quite some time,

not sensing the flow of energy leaving, Er Ya confidently concluded, “He has passed the maturity period.”