Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 375 Star Core Stone!
Rowan sat by the window of the observation deck, gazing at the boundless sea of ​​stars outside. The dazzling starlight sparkled like diamonds, and occasionally a comet streaked across the sky with its long tail, creating a magnificent and mysterious spectacle. Although he had been away from the Silverblue Empire for three days, his heart was still filled with longing for his friends.

The Starwing Roc feather in his hand emitted a gentle light as he stroked it, as if responding to its master's emotions. Through this feather, Luo Wen could vaguely sense Peng Yu's presence; although the distance was vast, the feeling of blood ties remained clear.

“Sir, you don’t seem to be in a good mood,” a young woman sitting next to him asked with concern. She was a researcher at Virtual Universe Company and was also on her way back to headquarters to report on her work.

"It's nothing, I just miss my friends a little," Rowan replied politely. "It's a bit disorienting to be away from my friends this far for the first time."

“I understand that feeling,” the female researcher said with a smile. “My name is Lina, and I’m a researcher at the Third Research Institute of Virtual Universe Corporation. I heard you’re also an employee of the company?”

“Yes, my name is Rowan. I just finished a mission in the Silverblue Empire,” Rowan introduced himself briefly. “What is your area of ​​research?”

“My main research focuses on the ruins and artifacts of ancient civilizations,” Lina said excitedly. “We discovered some very valuable ancient ruins in the Sirius system, so I need to return to headquarters to report in detail. What mission are you on in the Silverblue Empire?”

"It was mainly cultural exchange and learning," Rowan said, without elaborating on his experience, "The Silver Blue Empire is a very interesting civilization, and I learned a lot from it."

The two were chatting happily when suddenly the spaceship's intercom system crackled to life: "Attention passengers, a large meteorite cluster has been detected ahead. The spaceship will be making an emergency turn. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated."

With the announcement, the spaceship began to vibrate slightly, clearly adjusting its course. Through the viewing window, countless twinkling points of light could be seen in the distant starry sky—the meteorite cluster the captain had mentioned.

“It looks like a large operation,” Lina said with some concern. “Hopefully we can get around it safely.”

“It should be fine,” Rowan reassured him. “Virtual Universe’s ships are equipped with state-of-the-art navigation systems; they should be very experienced in handling this kind of situation.”

However, things didn't go as smoothly as they had hoped. A few minutes later, the announcement came on again, this time with a noticeably tense tone from the captain: "Passengers, we have encountered some technical problems. The meteor shower is much larger than expected, and some of the meteors contain unusual metallic components that are interfering with our navigation systems. We are working to find a safe passage."

The spacecraft's vibrations intensified, and the thrusters could be felt operating at full capacity. Through the viewing window, the meteorite cluster was now close at hand; some enormous rocks, like small mountains, floated in space, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic sheen.

“Things don’t look good,” Lina said, gripping the armrest of her seat nervously. “Those meteorites are so densely packed; it’s hard to find a suitable passage.”

Rowan also began to worry. Although Virtual Universe Corporation's spaceship was advanced, anything could happen when faced with such a dense cluster of meteors. He subconsciously gripped the Void Slash at his chest, hoping he wouldn't need it, but it was always good to be prepared.

Just then, a rapid alarm sounded in the control room. The captain's voice rang out again, this time clearly tinged with panic: "Emergency! A super-large meteorite, approximately five kilometers in diameter, has been spotted ahead, right in our path. Due to a navigation system malfunction, we are unable to change course in time to avoid it. We are activating our weapon systems to intercept it."

The passengers in the observation cabin began to stir, some exclaiming in alarm. Through the viewing window, they could clearly see a massive meteorite looming ahead, like a small mountain blocking their path. At their current speed, if they couldn't avoid or destroy this meteorite, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The spaceship's weapon systems activated, firing several high-energy laser beams at the massive meteorite. The lasers struck the meteorite's surface, unleashing a dazzling burst of light, but shockingly, they only left some scorch marks on the meteorite's surface, causing no substantial damage.

"How is this possible?" Lina stared in disbelief at the scene. "Virtual Universe Corporation's laser cannons are powerful enough to destroy ordinary asteroids, so why are they having no effect on this meteorite?"

Rowan carefully examined the meteorite and found that its surface was indeed unusual. Under the laser light, the meteorite's surface revealed complex patterns, resembling some kind of special metallic alloy. This material clearly possessed extremely strong resistance to energy attacks.

"That's... a star core stone!" an old man sitting not far away suddenly exclaimed. "That meteorite is made of star core stones!"

"Star Core Stone?" Lina asked in confusion.

“That’s one of the hardest materials in the universe,” the old man explained. “It can only form in the extreme conditions of a star’s core. This material is virtually indestructible by ordinary energy weapons.”

Upon hearing this explanation, the passengers inside the cabin were plunged into despair. If even the spaceship's weapon systems couldn't destroy the meteorite, then they were truly in danger.

The captain's voice rang out again, now tinged with obvious despair: "Weapon systems ineffective, steering system too late. All crew prepare for ramming, activate emergency protection systems!"

Emergency lights inside the spacecraft began flashing, and the protective barriers started charging. But everyone knew that even the most advanced protective systems would struggle to guarantee their safety in the face of such a massive meteorite.

At this critical moment, Rowan stood up. He knew he couldn't stand idly by; although fighting in space was extremely dangerous, this was the only chance to save everyone.

“I’ll go deal with that meteorite,” Rowan said calmly.

"What? Are you crazy?" Lina stared at him in shock. "It's outer space, there's no oxygen, and that meteorite couldn't even be destroyed by a laser cannon!"

"Trust me, I have a way," Rowan said without further explanation, and walked directly to the hatch.

He entered the spacecraft's airlock and began donning his spacesuit. Although with his current abilities, surviving in space for a short time wouldn't be a problem, the spacesuit was still a necessary precaution.

“Sir, you can’t do this!” the airlock worker tried to stop him. “The outside environment is too dangerous!”

“There is no other choice,” Rowan said firmly. “If we don’t destroy that meteorite, we will all die.”

After saying this, he ignored the staff's attempts to stop him and initiated the airlock opening procedure. As the hatch opened, Rowan was sucked into space.

The vast starry sky unfolded before him, and despite wearing a spacesuit, he could still feel the majesty and mystery of the universe. In this airless environment, everything was so quiet, with only the light from distant stars illuminating the surrounding space.

Ahead, the enormous star core meteorite was rapidly approaching. From this distance, it truly resembled a mountain peak, its metallic patterns shimmering under the starlight.

Luo Wen took a deep breath and began to mobilize the power of his Kunpeng bloodline. In his awakened state, he could move freely in space for short periods without relying on the life support system of his spacesuit. He slowly drew the Void Slash, the divine sword still radiating a dark light in the vacuum of space. The law patterns on the sword began to flicker, as if sensing the surrounding spatial structure.

“Void Slash, it’s up to you this time,” Rowan said, gently stroking the sword and communicating with the divine sword telepathically.

A gentle response came from the Void Slash; the Void Sword Saint's consciousness within the sword seemed to sense the importance of this challenge. The power of the laws of space began to gather around the sword, forming visible energy fluctuations.

Rowan raised the Void Slash, aiming it at the massive meteorite in front of him. With this strike, he intended to unleash the divine sword's full power, even if it meant exhausting his own strength.

"Void. Heaven Slash!"

With Rowan's roar, an unprecedented jet-black sword beam erupted from the void slash. This sword beam stretched for several kilometers, like a black lightning bolt piercing the starry sky, heading straight for the giant meteorite.

Wherever the sword's edge passed, space itself trembled. This was no ordinary energy attack, but an attack that directly impacted the very structure of space. Even a material as hard as star core stone appeared incredibly fragile before the laws of space.

The instant the dark sword light struck the meteorite, the entire starry sky was illuminated. Not by the light of the explosion, but by the distortion of space itself, creating a strange optical effect.

A breathtaking thing happened. The massive meteorite, which even the laser cannon couldn't damage, was sliced ​​in two like tofu by the Void Slash. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without any flying debris, as if it had been cut by the sharpest blade.

The two halves of the meteorite continued to fly forward due to inertia, but they had deviated from the spacecraft's course and flew past the sides of the spacecraft without posing any threat.

Everyone on the spaceship witnessed this incredible scene. Their expressions of despair instantly transformed into shock and disbelief. One person, with just a sword, had destroyed a star core meteorite that even a high-energy laser cannon couldn't damage.

"This...this is impossible!" Lina's eyes widened. "That's a Star Core Stone! Even a cosmic-level powerhouse would have a hard time destroying it!"

The captain's voice came through the loudspeaker, equally resounding: "Crisis averted! Repeat, crisis averted! Thank you to the gentleman who came to our aid; you saved all our lives!"

In space, Rowan felt the weakness emanating from the Void Slash. That attack had almost exhausted all the power he could muster, and even his divine sword needed time to recover. But seeing the crisis successfully averted and everyone safe, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Then, to his surprise, he discovered some peculiar structures on the cut surface of the meteorite. They didn't look like naturally formed patterns, but rather like some kind of man-made device.

"What is that?" Rowan asked curiously as he flew closer to observe.

At the core of the meteorite, there is a spherical space about one meter in diameter, inside which floats a device emitting a faint light. This device looks very ancient, its surface covered with complex runes, giving it an air of mystery.

"Could this meteorite not have been formed naturally?" Rowan wondered.

He cautiously approached the device and discovered that it appeared to be some kind of energy core, which, although it had been operating for countless millennia, was still working weakly.

"This could be a relic of an ancient civilization," Rowan concluded. "We should take it back for experts to study."

He carefully stored the device away and returned to the spaceship. As the airlock door closed again, everyone inside looked at him with awe.

“Sir, your performance just now was absolutely incredible!” Lina exclaimed excitedly. “How did you do that? That sword strike was even more powerful than the spaceship's main cannon!”

"It was just good luck," Rowan replied modestly, without explaining the origin of the Void Slash in detail.

The captain rushed over and personally thanked Rowan: "Sir, without your help, we would all be dead today. Please tell me your name; I need to report your heroic act to headquarters."

"My name is Rowan, and I'm also an employee of Virtual Universe Company," Rowan introduced himself simply. "Helping my colleagues is the right thing to do."

“Rowan…that name sounds familiar,” the captain thought for a moment. “Ah! You’re Mr. Rowan, the one who earned the Sword Saint’s approval in the Silverblue Empire!”

Upon hearing the captain's words, the other passengers in the cabin looked at him with even greater admiration. Anyone who could gain the approval of the Silver Blue Empire's Sword Saint was renowned within the Virtual Universe Company.

"I never expected to meet such a legendary figure," Lina said excitedly. "No wonder you were able to destroy the Star Core Meteorite; you're the swordsmanship genius!"

Rowan waved his hand somewhat sheepishly, "You flatter me, everyone. I still have a lot to learn."

“By the way, Mr. Rowan,” the captain suddenly remembered something, “did you find anything at the meteorite? I saw you bring something back.”

“Indeed,” Rowan said, taking out the ancient device. “This meteorite doesn’t seem to have formed naturally; it has this device inside. I think it might be a relic of an ancient civilization.”

As an archaeological researcher, Lina was immediately drawn to the device. "This is definitely not a natural structure! Judging from the style of these runes, it could be tens of thousands of years old. And I've never seen this energy fluctuation pattern before."

“This is a major discovery,” the captain exclaimed excitedly. “An ancient device that could be preserved inside a star core for tens of thousands of years is absolutely invaluable. Mr. Rowan, you not only saved our lives but also brought a precious discovery to the company.”

With the crisis resolved, the spaceship returned to normal navigation. The repaired navigation system successfully found a safe route through the asteroid field, and the subsequent journey became smooth.

(End of this chapter)