My Core is the Boss

The car stopped at the Junan Residential Complex.

Xiaomei stepped out, urgency written all over her face. "War is about to begin. This place is no longer safe. I have to take Little Yuan away. If we want a chance of survival, we have to go to the Heavenly Origin Sect."

In truth, she had always quietly kept an eye on Qi Yuan. Originally, she had not wanted to disturb his peaceful life. But now, with war imminent and the kingdom on the verge of falling, she had to take him away. She could not allow her master's bloodline to be extinguished.

Anxious pedestrians hurried along the roads. The destruction of the Eyes of the Sky and the impending arrival of Brilliant Star's fleet had cast the shadow of war over everyone.

As Xiaomei climbed the stairs, her thoughts drifted. In such a short lifetime, I've witnessed so much history...

She could not help but sigh. Soon, she arrived at the door of Qi Yuan's apartment. She felt somewhat nervous. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

About five breaths later, the door opened. A delicate-looking robot with a slender figure appeared before her. Zero-One asked politely, "Hello. May I ask what I can help you with?"

It was holding a mobile phone and appeared to be filming a video. From deeper within the apartment came miserable, pitiful meowing sounds.

Xiaomei said quickly, "I've come to see Qi Yuan. It's urgent."

"I'm sorry. Master isn't home."

Xiaomei became anxious. "Where is he now?! It’s extremely urgent!"

If Qi Yuan had disappeared at a time like this, it would be a major problem.

"I'm sorry. That concerns my master's privacy. I cannot reveal his whereabouts."

Xiaomei grew more desperate. "Forget about privacy! This concerns Qi Yuan's life and death!"

The Heavenly Origin Sect's spirit vessel would depart in three days. She did not have much time left.

"I'm sorry. I do not have the authority to disclose that information."

Xiaomei gritted her teeth. "You—"

Just then, Qi Yuan’s gentle voice came from inside. "Zero-One, it's fine. I'm back."

The master of the house then emerged. Clad in a blood-red robe, he looked incomparably handsome.

The moment Xiaomei saw his face, she briefly lost focus. Although she had seen Qi Yuan decades ago, this encounter felt entirely different. "Qi Yuan, I am—"

Qi Yuan recognized her as well. "Mhm, I know. You're Xiaomei."

His face betrayed a mixture of conflict and hesitation. "You didn't come to ask me to repay the money, did you?"

Not only had he yet to buy Arch Star, but he also hadn't saved enough money to purchase land for his underworld palace. He was being very frugal lately and honestly didn't feel like repaying any debts.

Xiaomei rubbed her forehead. "That's not it. War is about to begin—"

"You ran out of money?"

"No."

Qi Yuan really wanted to avoid the debt. "I know you're in a hurry, but I have something urgent to deal with. Can we talk later? Maybe in ten minutes or an hour?"

Borrowing money was an art in itself. Why should he repay something he'd acquired through his own skill? The world was full of malice.

Having been interrupted repeatedly, Xiaomei could only nod. "Fine. Hurry back. I have something important to discuss with you."

Qi Yuan pushed her into the apartment. "Okay. Go inside and sit for a while. Bye."

The next moment, he disappeared. Only the worried Xiaomei remained. Still, now that she had found him, she felt relieved. At least there was no immediate danger.

***

In the dark depths of outer space, several blue and crimson spheres could be seen from afar. Like the eyes of colossal creatures, they floated within the vast universe, desolate and forlorn.

The deep cosmos was utterly quiet, akin to a soundless world. Meteors drifted while streams of light flashed past. Farther ahead, nearly a hundred star battleships formed a vast military formation as they patrolled through space. Cold silver-white light gleamed from their hulls. Their unique designs inspired fear at first sight.

Inside one of the battleships was a demon called Pang Xi, who donned a robe made from human skin. A proud smile rested on his face. "Human toys are quite interesting. This speed... It's even faster than a Violet Palace cultivator."

A man in special combat armor said flatteringly, "These are all the latest models. Each ship alone is enough to flatten Qin Yuan. Of course, compared to the great lords of the Myriad Demon World, they're just scraps of metal."

Besides commanding this battleship, he was also the nominal supreme commander of the operation. The true supreme commander was naturally Pang Xi.

Pang Xi remarked casually, "These battleships are indeed powerful and tough. But if you eliminate the people inside, they're actually quite ordinary."

If the Myriad Demon World directly confronted these fleets, they would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses and lose many Violet Palace cultivators. Fortunately, they were clever. Rather than fighting head-on, they corrupted the upper ranks and gradually seized control of Brilliant Star from within. Now, even Brilliant Star's fleets were under demon control.

The soldiers and officers participating in this campaign were all hardline war supporters.

The commander said fawningly, "We mortals naturally cannot compare to someone as great as you, my lord."

At that moment, Qi Yuan’s voice echoed through the fleet. "Hello, could someone tell me how to get to Brilliant Star?"

The soldiers instantly grew alert.

The commander tensed up as well, quickly ordering, "Trace the source of the voice. Scan for unidentified lifeforms."

Only a few breaths later, an image appeared on the screen. Qi Yuan stood atop a massive meteorite.

"A cultivator?" Pang Xi grinned. "To be able to travel through space like that, he had to be at least at the Violet Palace realm. So this is Qin Yuan's hidden strength?"

Qi Yuan asked again, "Hey, you aren't Brilliant Star's fleet, are you?"

The meteor he rode remained perfectly synchronized with the fleet's movement.

Pang Xi gazed at him with admiration, saying generously, "You have courage. If you acknowledge me as your master, I can ensure the safety of your lineage."

Qi Yuan froze for a moment. "So, not only do you want to cancel the Martial Arts Tournament, you also want to kill me?"

Finding the statement utterly baffling, Pang Xi sneered. "Heh. Big mouth, empty head. Get rid of him. What a waste of time."

The commander immediately obeyed. "Yes, sir! Lock onto the target. Activate the Heavenly Repository Heavy Cannons. Commence extermination."

The fleet rapidly dispersed. The battleships moved with astonishing speed, jumping through space. Within moments, Qi Yuan was completely surrounded. Every escape route was cut off. The cannon muzzles were all pointed at him.

Built upon the concept of planet-destroying cannons, they were the second most powerful weapons aboard Brilliant Star's warships. Their destructive power was not inferior to the Eye of the Sky. Over a hundred Heavenly Repository Heavy Cannons locked onto Qi Yuan.

A robotic countdown echoed. "Charging. Three. Two. One..."

The commander seemed excited. Not even immortals stood a chance against these weapons, let alone someone at the Violet Palace realm! In fact, they didn't believe a Yin Spirit cultivator could block it. Qi Yuan was nothing more than a corpse waiting to be buried.

Qi Yuan remained calm. "Looks like there are quite a lot of bad NPCs around."

Countless missiles and beams attacked from every direction in a saturation bombardment. However, he was Qi Yuan. A fleet of this level was simply not worth his time.

With a deadpan look, Qi Yuan blew gently. "How boring."

In the previously silent vacuum of space, an immense storm erupted, akin to a cosmic tempest. Stars seemed to explode. Countless meteors shattered into dust. Every projectile aimed at Qi Yuan disintegrated.

The battleships' alarms never even sounded. Just like that, soldiers and demons alike were obliterated before they could react. No explosions echoed through space. The mighty fleet vanished without causing the slightest ripple.

"All talk, dead in a single breath. What a joke." Qi Yuan yawned and looked around. "Is that glowing green planet Brilliant Star? The sun beside it is kind of annoying. It is too bright."

The planetary system containing Arch Star and Brilliant Star was only slightly larger than the solar system. Without counting Qi Yuan’s star projection, there were two stars inside.

He vanished into space. "Let's go."

***

Meanwhile, within Brilliant Star's largest military base, a uniformed officer rushed in panic. "Marshal! We've lost contact with the voyage fleet!"

The marshal was surprised. "Lost contact? Is it a communication failure?"

"It's much worse than that. All of our soldiers' Thousand-Mile Dusk organisms have died."

The Thousand-Mile Dusk was a special lifeform, or rather, a bacterial colony. Some were implanted into the soldiers, while the rest remained in cultivation chambers. If a soldier died, the implanted colony died as well, causing the linked colony in the chamber to perish. Its function was similar to a cultivator's soul lamp.

The marshal's expression changed dramatically. "What?! All of them?!"

In other words, the fleet of more than a hundred star battleships had been annihilated. Even a single vessel was enough to destroy a nation, yet all of them were lost. How could he not be alarmed?

He demanded, "Did we receive any reports before contact was lost?! The soldiers dying isn't the issue. Failing the Myriad Demon World's mission is."

"There were no reports. The connection was completely severed. But before contact ended, the fleet encountered an enemy and activated the Heavenly Repository Heavy Cannons."

The marshal's face turned pale. "Immediately activate the Star-River Defense Line at full power. No one is allowed to enter Brilliant Star!"

The fact that the intruder had managed to destroy the fleet spoke volumes about their strength. Allowing such an opponent onto the planet would place them in the same helpless position they occupied under the Myriad Demon World. Killing the intruder in space would be the wisest choice.

As Brilliant Star's greatest orbital defense system, the Star-River Defense Line consisted of seven celestial bodies. Five were natural moons, while the other two had been captured using technology. These seven armed satellites housed Brilliant Star's most powerful weapons, which could be activated whenever an invasion occurred. It was easy to imagine just how terrifying the defense line would be at full power.

Orbital cannons, fantasy-type planet-destroying cannons, super-radiation weapons, stellar bombs, space-light weapons—every imaginable superweapon was there. Together, they could shatter a small moon into pieces.

The marshal hurried away. "I have to report this to the Demon Lord and His Majesty immediately!"