Him and their stars.

Chapter 2166 Returning to the Vacuum Feels Like Going Home
"Wh-what?!" The emperor's composure was shattered for the first time, replaced by genuine astonishment.

Yu Lian was naturally shocked as well, but looking at the emperor's face, which was filled with disbelief, he suddenly felt that it was worth the price of admission and even forgot his shock.

So, there are still experts?

A new Void Realm Lord? No, absolutely not! If such a high-dimensional being really arrived, they wouldn't resort to such sophisticated techniques!

The gravitational pull was far stronger than imagined, and the timing was astonishingly precise, dragging the unsuspecting emperor off his balance. Behind him, the space rippled and cracked, revealing an unknown spatial passage!

The mighty emperor of the empire, the ruler of this space, is being forcibly dragged into that distorted light and shadow.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How dare you, you scoundrel!"

A crimson aura surged from the emperor's body, as if flowing from his pores and the gaps between his cells, forming crystals. It was also a spiritual energy weapon constructed by the "Spirit Ruins Forging Furnace," just like the one Yu Lian was using now, and of course, exactly the same as the one he had used in the Dragon Palace before.

But this time, they appeared more profound and more concise.

High-dimensional psionic armor was transforming his body into an unyielding mountain, impossible to lose control even when facing spatial turbulence. He proclaimed loudly: "This is my world, the laws I control, the world I rule, my realm..."

His angry shouts abruptly ceased. Before the red crystal armor could spread across his entire body, Yu Lian, without a word, raised his halberd and slapped the emperor hard across the face.

This guy is being rigidly controlled by spatial constraints. If he misses such a good opportunity, even the spirit of the universe might think he is not worthy of being created.

Moreover, it must be admitted that the emperor, who was being forcibly controlled, was so angry and furious that he was practically peeking out with his head sticking out, making him the perfect target for being hit with a stick.

"Crash!" The cyan and red crystals collided and shattered simultaneously, breaking apart into the finest dust particles.

This time, the emperor's eyes showed visible disorientation and dizziness. He lost his balance and was forcibly dragged by the invisible force, suddenly pulled into the spatial passage that unfolded behind him.

The way this spatial passage unfolded was indeed wondrous, yet Yu Lian felt as if he had seen it somewhere before. Just as he was thinking this, he clearly saw that at the other end of that bizarre passage, it was not another chaotic illusory realm, but a scene belonging to the material world—the domed garden in the Dragon Palace.

The scene flashed by, but he could not have been mistaken.

In that fleeting glimpse, he also saw two figures. Logically, they shouldn't be here.

That was Shirley, her eyes tightly closed and her hands crossed, as if she were performing some kind of cult ritual.

Tentacles sprouting from her head and tentacles extending from her back unfolded behind her, disappearing into another dimension. In the space, reflecting varying light and shadow, faintly undulating rhythmic characters could be seen.

In addition, there was also Little Grey with a playful smile, who seriously pressed her finger against her full, plump lips.

"You look so listless." She mouthed, "Little brother Yu Lian, you really can't do without your sister!"

I see! Well done! Once we bring the emperor back to the main world, we'll have the "military advantage."

Although I don't understand how they did it, in such a critical moment, any slight change could turn the tide of the battle.

The emperor's eyes finally regained focus, but by then it was too late. His face still bore uncontrollable rage and a trace of panic that he himself dared not admit, as he was pulled into the spatial passage.

In the end, he even waved his limbs wildly, probably trying to stabilize the spatial anchor point and make a final attempt to save it.

However, this gesture resembled a toad baring its teeth and claws—it was simply too ugly! For the emperor, it was far too undignified!

"Rat..." the emperor roared again. But this time, he didn't even have time to utter a single word before Yu Lian, wielding a crystal spear, slapped him across the face.

This time, the emperor's facial muscles and bones became noticeably misaligned. He could no longer control himself and, with a face full of regret, fell into the spatial turbulence.

Yu Lian's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. He assured the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good spirit of the universe that this was not mockery, much less gloating, but rather a feeling of relief, comfort, and exhilaration!
"This is the way of the righteous: those who follow the right path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little!" Yu Lian gripped the cyan crystal halberd tightly and leaped forward.

He ignored the malicious demons of the void and, without hesitation, transformed himself into a streak of blue meteor and shot toward the passage!

This place is no longer safe to stay!
He had to escape Dragon's Descent Palace at the very moment the spatial passage was about to be completely annihilated! He had to return to the Void Realm, return to Dragon's Descent Palace, return to the final battlefield of everything!
However, just as his body was about to touch the edge of the passage, the inevitable unexpected event occurred once again.

The chaotic will from beyond dimensions finally broke free of the spatial barrier and crashed violently into this floating island that was already on the verge of collapse! These were the Void Realm Lords who were watching from the sidelines.

They were drawn by the vibrant energy and the aura of death's cycle, but chose to observe secretly for the time being due to the high-energy reaction of the great battle here.

Now, the emperor's departure has disrupted the balance of power that was in a standoff, and has also caused the group of Void Realm behemoths to lose patience and switch directly to the hunting phase.

The dimensional barrier surrounding the floating island shattered like glass, and the enormous impact caused the already precarious spatial passage to deflect and twist violently!
Spatial turbulence was thus generated, and stable spatial paths collapsed into fragmented light and shadow and disordered dimensions.

Having already made preparations, Yu Lian recalled the emperor's previous response and instantly completed the forging of the Spirit Ruins Armor in a fraction of a second.

The crystalline armor seemed to surge directly from every cell, instantly covering his entire body. At that moment, the spatial power, which was enough to annihilate the spirit and the entire body, suddenly felt like a gentle breeze.

The dizzying, disorienting feeling suddenly vanished.

Yu Lian's mind remained focused on the coordinates of Longlin Palace, as if he were searching for a faint lighthouse in the midst of a raging storm at night. In this spatial turbulence, that was enough.

In an instant, the inexplicable chill of deep space replaced the eerie spiritual pressure of the illusory realm, and the boundless darkness and the distant, dazzling stars, with their infinite magnificence and majesty, came into view.

He did not return to Dragon Palace, but instead remained in space, a considerable physical distance from that space city.

Okay, although we're a bit far apart, we're still in the Celestial Realm, so who can say I'm lost?

He hovered in the cold vacuum, looking at the familiar, huge purple gas planet in the distance. This planet was named after "Lum," the dark world in the mythology of the Empire's mother planet, and was the sixth star on the outer edge of the celestial realm.

The fact that its halo and several large vortexes on the planet's surface are visible to the naked eye means that one is not far from the outer ring of the capital's "urban cluster".

Then again, isn't this the universe? Am I not now practically traveling through the universe in my physical body?

However, he didn't feel much unbearable cold, nor did he experience any loss of pressure in his respiratory system. In fact, when he entered the vacuum environment, he even had time to adjust his state.
He was even able to adjust his posture in the vacuum environment to make his wandering position more comfortable. Well, even though it was in the vacuum universe, he actually felt much more comfortable than in the virtual realm.

...As expected, high-dimensional psionicists don't really seem like proper carbon-based life forms anymore!

As Yu Lian was searching for the true nature of humanity in such sorrow, at the very moment he regained his footing, an unsettling aura suddenly came from not far beside him!
The chaos and oppression of the virtual realm, the coldness and solemnity of the machinery, created an atmosphere that felt particularly twisted and evil.

Yu Lian suddenly turned his head and looked at the fierce battle that could defy one's imagination.

Right there, against the backdrop of the stars, a colossal, suffocating steel behemoth was baring its fangs and claws, looking at first glance like a centipede that had just been sprayed with pesticide and was struggling.

In truth, its original form was almost unrecognizable. Its entire body was encased in countless mechanical tentacles, armor plates, and enormous steel blades, transforming it into a giant steel worm. Of course, the protrusions at the tips vaguely formed a humanoid outline, yet it resembled a twisted and ferocious mechanical demon born solely for destruction.

A dark aura of psionic energy still flowed over the heavy armor, which was the source of His power, but also the cage for those illusory beings beneath the armor.

It was like a space Leviathan clad in steel armor, recklessly unleashing a dense barrage of energy in the galaxy, as if cutting countless grids out of the starry sky.

This predator of the starry sky, the dominant force at the top of the food chain, seems to be turning a dense barrage of energy into a fishing net, luring its prey.

However, the nimble prey always moved freely and gracefully through the net of energy, occasionally even managing to launch a counterattack.

That was naturally his loyal silent signal, Commander Yu.

Your comrades did a great job! Yu Lian is proud of his comrades.

Of course, the monster was also trying to close the distance with the Silent One, seemingly believing that this would increase its firepower. However, the continuous artillery fire from the Imperial fleet at a distance, while perhaps not fatal, did create a controlling effect.

The relentless artillery fire created an uninterrupted kinetic energy, making it almost impossible for the behemoth to advance, forcing it to maintain a considerable distance from the Silent One.

Of course, He was also excluded from the outer ring of the space city cluster.

However, as the artillery fire intensified, the armor encasing its body eventually showed increasing and more obvious damage. Meanwhile, the ethereal matter kept drifting out from the gaps in the steel mech, then dissipating into the starry sky.

In Yu Lian's spiritual vision, he clearly sensed that the disintegrating illusory flesh and blood were constantly spreading throughout the entire galaxy. When they came into contact with physical entities and life force, as well as the "information" that constitutes matter and civilization, they would inevitably transform into illusory gates, releasing various subspace monsters.

Manipulating both realms and dominating dimensions is the very power of the Void Realm Lord, the "Dimensional Abomination."

Even now, though He has become Emperor Elithel's pet, He still retains this ability.

So what about those virtual gates that are constantly opening?

Just as Yu Lian had this thought, he sensed a rather malicious aura.

A steel giant covered in heavy, ornate armor, wearing a crown-like hat on its head, and stretching out six pairs of wings of light, drifted past me.

This giant was twenty meters tall, and its wingspan, made of light, extended more than thirty meters, like an angel traversing the void, sacred, majestic, and magnificent.

If this were witnessed by any civilization that had not yet left its home planet, a large number of people would surely kneel down and worship on the spot.

Yu Lian also had to give an objective assessment: if this thing were placed in the Gundam universe, it would definitely be a protagonist's mobile suit, and it would definitely be a mobile suit that could only be obtained later in the game.

If it weren't for the two subtle golden lights that were coldly yet greedily "watching" him from the gaps in this guy's mask, he would definitely be a very pleasant and positive character.

Therefore, it still comes down to common sense: the appearance of all products in the virtual realm is meaningless.

It sensed the vibrant life and surging energy of Yulian, and with a silent roar, it pounced in this direction, as if it had instantly transformed from a magnificent angel into a vulture pouncing on its prey.

He doesn't seem very smart.

The more ferocious its leaping attack was, the more violently it disintegrated.

The giant, resembling an angel of steel, was instantly deformed by an unseen giant hand. Then it shattered into various fragments, like a mosquito being crushed.

This time, the illusory energy and information that constituted its existence also instantly became part of the material universe.

These low-level grunts, while powerful enough to handle a well-trained Astral Knight (who would even need to ride a dragon in space), clearly possess insect-like intelligence. They lack even the ability of most wild animals to sense those above them in the food chain.

However, if the eerie behemoth in the distance still exists, these grunts will continue to appear.

Or rather, they should have already appeared in large numbers long ago.

Yu Lian hovered in the starry sky, glancing at the distant space cities. The main force of the Sobek fleet had already deployed in front of these space cities, continuously bombarding the steel behemoths. They were probably preparing to use their warships and soldiers as walls to protect the people. But the problem was, the appearance of those virtual monsters wasn't a straight line.

He was almost certain that monsters had already landed on the Imperial fleet, the space city, and the Silent Ship, which was currently engaged in close combat with the behemoth.

Yu Lian only took half a second to abandon his plan to return to the Silent Ship to reinforce his comrades.

Their loyal Enlightened warships are still maintaining pressure on the enemy target. Even if they are boarded by the monsters from the Void Realm, they should be able to hold out for now.

...As for Brother Sobek, I wish them good luck in their military endeavors.

In any case, treating the symptom without addressing the underlying cause is not a wise approach; it's better to consider the most efficient method.

He continued to focus on the illusory monster's true form not far away, pondering where to begin. However, its imposing size made it quite troublesome.

More importantly, Yu Lian could clearly sense the familiar aura of a soul clone hidden beneath the steel body and the illusory flesh and blood.

This thing really is one of the emperor's "bodies".

Therefore, this great general is going to beat up the emperor! This great general loves beating up the emperor!