Swallowing the Stars: I, the New Master of Babata

"Your Majesty, if this is someone close to you, I advise you not to take the risk..."

Vinina Pollenas had tried her best to stop her husband, Li Yao, and they almost had a falling out, but in the end she couldn't stop him from going to the ancient ruins.

Now that Dongqing had brought up this past event that she still couldn't let go of, she secretly pinched her thigh and mustered up the courage to ask Dongqing the question she had always wanted to ask.

"Me?"

Dong Qing pointed to himself, and after receiving confirmation from Vinina Bolenas, he said in a very natural tone, "The natural survival rate is less than 30%, what's the difference between this and suicide?"

In the intervals between Dong Qing's words, several dazzling crescent blades would occasionally streak across the sky like silver streaks of light. Some people noticed them, while others remained completely unaware.

"Your Majesty, I understand!"

Vinina Bolenas understood Dong Qing's answer; it was the answer she wanted and the answer she had been hoping for.

Unfortunately, things have changed, and the dead cannot be brought back to life, and she herself is no longer by Dongqing's side.

"Alright, I'll stay here and oversee things. You can go ahead and get busy. Distribute the bounties to those lower-level martial artists first; they deserve it. As for my share, you can figure that out yourselves."

"Also, go back and tell those people that I am not a pawn that anyone can use. I can stand up, but I will not be hostile to Hong and Thor. You'd better be more discreet."

Dong Qing ultimately did not refuse the HR Alliance behind Vinina Bolenas and the massive sum of 22 trillion from the five major powers, because he could sense that the HR Alliance and the five major powers had reached their limit in their tolerance of Hong and Thor.

The Limitless Martial Arts School and the Thunder Martial Arts School are located all over the world. The War God Palace is almost entirely their own domain. They even have their own high-level currency called "Stars" inside. Furthermore, they don't open their high-level cultivation resources to the five major powers and the HR Alliance.

If this continues, civil war will inevitably break out in less than ten years.

This is not what Dong Qing wants to see; he needs to step in and balance things out.

Unless a global crisis or even a catastrophe that destroys all of humanity occurs within the next ten years, forcing us to unite to resist the disaster.

Otherwise, these older generations who came through the great rebirth of 2013 are destined to cause disputes over power and status.

That's human nature.

Such is the nature of human nature.

The five great nations cannot stand idly by and watch the Limitless Martial Arts School and the Thunder Martial Arts School replace them.

The HR Alliance was also unwilling to be excluded from the high-level currency "Star".

The legitimacy of "Stars" comes from Hong, the world's strongest person.

The legitimacy of the currencies of the five major countries naturally needs a new anchor.

and so.

If Dongqing doesn't take this 22 trillion, the currencies of the five major countries will depreciate further.

How can a currency that is not recognized by the three giants of the world be accepted by ordinary people?

If one day...

The War God Palace, led by Hong and Lei Shen, distributed a currency similar to "Stars".

The currencies of the five major powers will become worthless paper in an instant.

That sounds outrageous.

However, the Limit Martial Arts Academy and the Thunder Martial Arts Academy have absorbed more than 50% of the world's martial artists, and more than 80% of the experts above the level of War God belong to the War God Palace.

There are very few martial artists who are truly affiliated with the five great powers and the HR Alliance. Just like the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in the past, without the ability to live as long as heaven and earth, they are not qualified to sit at the table.

Dongqing is the nuclear bomb that can live as long as heaven and earth, and in addition, Dongqing has trained many disciples in elite training camps around the world over the years.

Even if it's only the third in the world, with the support of the five major powers and the HR alliance, it can barely rival Hong and Thor in terms of power.

Dongqing simply didn't want to get involved in these political matters in the past.

But now he finds himself unable to avoid these troublesome political issues.

"Yes, Lord Qingdi, I will report the truth."

When Vinina Bolena heard Dong Qing say this, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Dong Qing would refuse firmly, in which case the HR Alliance and the five major countries would really be out of options.

After all, in the face of absolute force, all schemes and tricks seem ridiculous. Unless there is equal force, the weak have no right to speak at the negotiating table.

........

Ten hours later.

Daylight broke outside the Jiangnan base city.

The cleanup work following the rat infestation has also been completed.

The war bases and martial arts camps outside Jiangnan Base City have begun a busy repair project, striving to restore these defensive facilities before the next beast tide and rat tide arrives.

Meanwhile, inside the Jiangnan base city, people who hadn't slept well all night began to celebrate joyfully. Many people also posted on social media, expressing their gratitude and praise for the Azure Emperor.

Some people praised it.

Some people then slandered them.

"Hundreds of billions of rat beasts were wiped out in one night. No wonder he is the third strongest in the world, the Azure Emperor. If you ask me, it's only because the Azure Emperor doesn't take action often and shows his strength too few times, and he spends most of his time guarding the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan base city, that he could have easily secured first or second place!"

"Nonsense. Hong and Lei Shen are both powerful figures from the Great Nirvana period, and both are Chinese. It's just a ranking. I don't know what you have to argue about. Although Qing Di is a powerful figure who has risen in the last ten years or so, he is still too young. He is just over thirty years old. How can he compare to Hong and Lei Shen's profound foundation?"

Before the Great Nirvana, most people understood a thirty-year-old as a middle-aged person, someone just entering middle age.

But after the Great Nirvana, with the rise of martial artists, a thirty-year-old is simply a young person, very young.

Because of genetic analysis.

Once a martial artist breaks through and surpasses the God of War, their lifespan starts at one thousand years.

Ordinary people are like ants in front of us, their lifespans are not even comparable.

"What Chinese? Hong himself isn't even in China. He has his own base city, Hongning Base City, where the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy is also located. That area used to be Istanbul, which is Turkey's territory. It's located in western Asia, across the Bosphorus Strait, and is a bridgehead between Eurasia. Being so far away, he certainly doesn't consider himself Chinese."

"So, according to you, the Thunder Base City and Thunder Martial Arts School headquarters that Thor established in Southeast Asia will also be stripped of their Chinese citizenship. Apart from the Azure Emperor who is stationed in China, no one else will be considered Chinese. But the main reason why both Hong and Thor established their own base cities abroad is to fight against monsters on land and in the sea."

Although the five major countries and the HR alliance are secretly helping Dongqing enhance its reputation.

But in this world, no one is destined to be liked by everyone.

It's true that Dongqing saved the Jiangnan base city.

However, the Jiangnan base city only belongs to the domestic area.

There are 23 base cities globally, six in China, four on average in the other five major countries, two base cities under independent regimes, and Hongning Base City and Leiting Base City, which belong to Hong and Leishen.

For the people in these base cities, Dongqing did indeed demonstrate the third-best capabilities in the world and was worthy of the title of Azure Emperor, but it was difficult for them to develop any sense of reverence for Dongqing.

However, no matter how heated the online debate gets, it does not affect the determination of the HR Alliance and the five major countries.

That means the world needs a new swordsman; we can't let Hong and Thor continue to devour it.

"Venina, you did a great job. The Azure Emperor is willing to stand on our side; only the HR Alliance and the Five Great Nations are qualified..."