Him and their stars.

Chapter 2193 Farewell
Yu Lian now feels that she is sleeping peacefully.

Yes, this was the most restful and peaceful sleep he had ever had in ten months since the Battle of Said ended and he led his last elite fleet on this long march.

However, perhaps because he had taken another big step closer to the truth of the ninth ring, even though his body was in a deep state of hibernation and his brain had received ample rest, he felt energetic and clear-headed. This was indeed a novel experience he had never had in either of his lives.

He felt that this might be a manifestation of spiritual power and spirit. In the great battle with the emperor, he had fought against multiple "emperors".

Although His Majesty has perished, the blame cannot be entirely placed on the war. As for myself, I truly admire His Majesty Elithel's level of mental schizophrenia.

Yu Lian felt that if he could experience, perceive, and adapt to this feeling, he would be able to possess the wonderful skill of creating a soul clone when he had complete control over it.

Of course, at this moment, what he needed to experience first was the familiar whisper of life acting deep within his consciousness. It was a rhythmic feeling from a new source of life, like the tides under the moonlight quietly washing over his mind.

Yu Lian knew that this feeling did not come from any instrument or extraordinary spiritual perception, but rather from the subtle authority of that half-ruler.

His perception transcended physical barriers, touching upon the gathering pulse of life in the distant void.

They are cold and orderly, yet possess a wild and vigorous evolutionary tension. They are incompatible with the forms of civilization in the entire universe, but inexplicably become an interesting and harmonious variation in this symphony of the stars.

It's a swarm of insects.

Yu Lian had to admit that his natural aversion to the insect swarm was diminishing. In fact, once he got used to the setup, he even found the little quirks quite interesting.

This is definitely not due to the influence of "Swarm Overlord Authority". As a quasi-god at the eighth ring of perfection, his emotions can be separated from the influence of biological concepts.

The reason they can be so calm is probably because they have truly accepted the future of the swarm and Shirley.

Yu Lian's consciousness traversed the sea of ​​stars and clearly captured the swarm fleet traveling in the gravitational shadow zone at the edge of the galaxy.

That was Shirley's Leviathan hive, now swollen to one and a half times the size of a normal Titan. Surrounding it were more than a dozen smaller hive ships, like worker bees swarming around a queen.

This fleet, resembling a swarm of bees, glided silently through the gravitational shadow region at the edge of the galaxy.

Their biomass shells perfectly absorb starlight and radiation, and the fleet's operational mode has revolutionized the understanding of traditional physical detection.

Even the massive imperial fleet, located in the same star system, remained completely unaware of all this.

Through the individual perspectives of the Zerg swarm, Yu Lian also clearly "saw" the massive Imperial fleet passing through the stable channel of the star system. Vast and imposing, majestic and awe-inspiring, it resembled an advancing steel wall.

That was the main force of the fleet led by Duke Barryen, which was also the largest strategic military force in the Galactic Empire within its own territory.

They were simply sailing normally towards the capital, without any sign of alert.

The Hive ships adjusted their life fluctuations, reducing them to near the critical value of a dormant state. Their enormous biological glands pulsated at extremely low power, using stellar winds and background radiation as cover for their gliding. They even cleverly utilized the gravitational entanglement between celestial bodies and the ubiquitous cosmic radiation to perfectly dilute their tracks.

On radar, Imperial soldiers might only see a sparse asteroid belt or harmless cosmic dust and ion clusters. Meanwhile, professional officers and navigators were focused on routine jump fluctuations, high-energy reactions, or even psionic array signals in the occult sense, completely unaware of the travelers quietly passing through this ancient celestial realm.

This is a tide of life in another dimension. It will probably be many years before the Imperial Army truly learns to respect this fact.

At that moment, a clearer, specific ripple of consciousness, following the hidden access link, gently sent a greeting to Yu Lian's spiritual senses.

"Even though I haven't formally said goodbye to you, you don't need to keep bothering me. It's not dignified at all, really."

Xia Li's consciousness was transmitted, but there was no image. However, Yu Lian clearly saw the appearance of a sulking, chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) girl.

"You've already passed through Mithril Pass? I never imagined you'd risk being discovered by Duke Barryen's fleet by taking this route," Yu Lian said.

"All the fleets of the entire Empire are swarming towards the Sky Realm like noisy wasps, and I'm bound to run into them. So I might as well choose the easiest path." Shirley said proudly, "So that you know that after this great war, I finally avenged my father and me in our human days. My mind is at peace, my realm has opened up, I've achieved oneness with heaven and earth, and my power has increased again. My understanding of the Heart of Leviathan and my control over the swarm have reached a new level."

"so?"

"My stealth capabilities have improved by an order of magnitude! From now on, if I want to hide, even if a demigod-level navigator is on a Titan, they won't be able to find me so easily! Even if I bombard the bridge with my spore shells, they won't be able to locate me."

Is this something to be particularly proud of?

"So, you can go and launch a surprise attack on Duke Barry's flagship now? They can't locate you anyway. You can bombard it with a hundred spore shells and then retreat safely."

“I would never do that!” Shirley shouted back.

Yu Lian let out a disdainful sneer.

However, this time, the young lady was not provoked at all: "Hmph, a provocation? I won't fall for it!"

"I was just offering a small suggestion to make the universe more lively, how could that be considered provocation?" Yu Lian immediately felt that Xia Li was still being too sensitive. "As for you... hehe, Yu Lian, your imperial friends are still busy arguing and cleaning up the mess. This road is quieter than I imagined."

Yu Lian's thoughts flickered slightly, conveying a sense of relief.

"What's with this condescending attitude, like coaxing a child? By age, I'm the real senior, okay?"
In short, I'll remember what we agreed on. Stay away from the stargate, stay away from the colonies, and explore the frontiers of civilization. Shirley's voice carried a hint of relief and ease, as if she had been freed from a heavy burden. Her tone was even as carefree as a spirited older sister who could ride a ghost fire on her own.

Yu Lian remained silent for a moment, then uttered a heartfelt blessing: "Be very careful."

"Heh, you're talking about the backup plan left by Princess Rainbow Rose of the Alliance? Sonia, who's being controlled by the Alliance?"

Who is Sonia? Yu Lian was puzzled, but he certainly couldn't show it like that.

"Ha, she certainly has the potential to become the next Overmind. But once she truly grows up, will she really dance to the tune of the Alliance? Even if I perish, she will inherit all my legacy and memories as an Overmind. The Swarm will still survive. Hahaha, I am neither born nor die, I am the Swarm!"

Although Yu Lian still couldn't see the image, she automatically imagined a smug little girl in a white dress pointing one finger to the sky and the other to the ground.

"As long as the swarm has a single cell left, I am immortal." She concluded, then said to Yu Lian, "In short, it's best not to contact each other unless absolutely necessary. It's not that I'm afraid of you, but I feel that we all have bright futures ahead of us, so let's not keep bothering each other's creatures, right?"

“That’s true,” Yu Lian agreed.

"Having lived again, it's not that I'm afraid of you; it's just that I want to focus all my energy on exploring the universe and finding a new home. Everything from my human past no longer troubles my mind. I've transcended the Three Realms and am no longer bound by the Five Elements, and I certainly don't want to be bothered by your harem! This is the truth!"

I believe it.

“If you don’t laugh out loud, I’ll really believe you.” Her consciousness seemed to be exasperated. But after a pause, the dimensional ripples of the same spirit became calm and composed: “The Zerg swarm is searching for the path to a new civilization, and I do need to travel light. Let us slowly become each other’s legends and background noise in the archives of the galaxy.”

This was probably the formal farewell, and it was probably the most sophisticated thing Yu Lian had ever heard from Xia Li.

He remained silent for a moment, sensing the light in his consciousness that represented the gathering of the Zerg fleet—a wild, resolute, and indomitable radiance of life.

"Have a safe journey, Shirley. May your path be guided by warm stars, for the heavens will be kind to explorers."

"Ew~~~ So pretentious!" Xia Li's response seemed to be a light laugh, and then the link began to retract on its own, moving away rapidly like the receding tide.

"Anyway, thanks. Well, I don't really know why I should thank you. I always feel like you were the one who wronged me first. But anyway, goodbye, Yu Lian. I hope we never see each other again!"

Are you being so long-winded because you don't want to part with me?
Just as Yu Lian was about to say that, the last connection quietly disappeared into the vast background noise of the mind, as if it had never existed.

The pulse of the assembled Zerg fleet gradually faded into the distance. Resolutely, they sailed towards the deep darkness beyond the Galactic Empire's borders, embarking on their destined great expedition to the other side of the galaxy.

This is actually a much better development than Tomy's expedition.

As Yu Lian pondered this, his consciousness withdrew from the vast, cold depths of space, and his senses re-anchored to the warm, rich reality.

He woke up.

After two hours of deep sleep while "awake," Yu Lian felt that her body and mind had been greatly healed.

His eyelids trembled slightly. What first flooded in was the soft, dappled sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, and the ubiquitous, elegant, and refreshing fragrance of grass and trees.

Beneath her was a recliner covered in soft fabric, with fluffy cushions behind her.

When Yu Lian opened his eyes, what came into view was not the unfamiliar ceiling, but the sky garden of the Sacred Tree Palace that he had visited before.

The ancient, gnarled trees stretched out like coiled dragons, with vines hanging from their branches and leaves, their spherical flower buds resembling jewels. Unidentified exotic flowers unfurled their lustrous petals in the gentle breeze, while the still fountain's droplets refracted tiny iridescent ripples.

In the distance, through the gaps between the carved white stone pillars and through the translucent, enormous dome, one can see the magnificent and beautiful man-made celestial bodies of the heavens, silently revolving against the backdrop of stars.

The magnificent scenery of the capital city, with its overwhelming solemnity and grandeur, came into Yu Lian's view.

War, behemoths, life-or-death battles, and even the expansion of the insect swarms all seem like distant echoes from another dimension. Here, there is only a kind of almost luxurious tranquility.

The tranquility felt unreal, and this unreality stirred a strange restlessness in Yu Lian.

"Awake? Sweet dreams." A clear and pleasant voice came from the side: "It's good that you're awake, otherwise I wouldn't be the one to disturb your sweet dreams."

"Did I wake up at the wrong time?"

"No, you woke up at just the right time."