Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

"Reporting to the director, the rapid reaction force has completed its assembly. Please provide your next instructions!" A martial artist stepped forward and saluted.

"There's no movement at the Zhou family manor right now, so the battle is probably over. You all stay here and keep watch. The Zhou family has just finished a major battle, and it's not a good time for a large force to appear and provoke them. I'll go in and meet with Old Master Zhou first," the man in military uniform instructed, then walked into the manor.

The battle had just ended, and the security system of the Zhou family manor was at its highest alert level. As soon as the security bureau's convoy approached within one kilometer of the manor, the monitoring radar issued an alarm.

The message was quickly reported to Mo Yan, who learned from Zhou Mu that it was a team from the Security Bureau and the Extreme Martial Arts Academy, and the alert was lifted.

Mo Yan immediately ordered his men to escort the man in military uniform who was leading the group into the main hall of the manor.

As soon as the man in military uniform entered the reception room, he immediately saw Zhou Mu sitting in the main seat, drinking heartily from the teapot like a cow chewing on a peony, showing no signs of the exhaustion that had been rumored.

"Old Chief? You... you've broken through?!"

The man in military uniform stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock.

Having already given enough answers, Zhou Mu nodded perfunctorily, gently placed the purple clay teapot on the table, and then pointed at the other person, cursing, "Chu Feng, what kind of team did you lead?! Huh?"

Zhou Mu's voice was loud and clear, full of energy: "Half an hour! A full half hour! Back when I was in charge of you guys, the requirement for the rapid reaction force was to arrive at the scene within fifteen minutes at most! Now look at you, by the time you get here, the enemy's corpses are already cold!"

He stood up, walked half a circle around Chu Feng, and almost poked the other man's nose with his fingertip.

"What's wrong? I heard I was on my deathbed recently, and you bunch of brats started slacking off? Do you think I can't care about you anymore since I'm about to die?! Huh?! How can the people of Base City trust you if you act like this?!"

Zhou Mu suddenly leaned closer, lowered his voice, but his tone was filled with even more burning anger: "Let me tell you, Chu Feng! Even if I were on my last breath, dealing with a couple of War God-level warriors would be a piece of cake! Do you believe me?!"

Chu Feng, whose shoulder insignia were adorned with golden stars, was somewhat stunned by the familiar barrage of angry curses, which were accompanied by spittle. However, the tension in his heart eased a little, which meant that Zhou Mu had not abandoned him and was still willing to scold him like this.

Even though Chu Feng had already risen to the position of Deputy Director of the Security Bureau of Jiangnan Base City, he still acted like a green recruit twenty years ago in front of Zhou Mu. He immediately stood at attention and blurted out, "Commander, I swear to God! The rapid reaction force completed its preparation and assembly within 5 minutes, and a lord-level black-scaled venomous dragon suddenly appeared near the third block, blocking the road and going berserk! The communication channels were also filled with crackling electrical interference."

"After taking down that bastard, I led my brothers here like madmen, practically flooring the gas! If I, Chu Feng, had even the slightest ulterior motive, I'd never advance to the Planetary level!"

Chu Feng raised his head, looking at Zhou Mu's calm face. Chu Feng's face was covered in sweat from anxiety: "If you don't believe me, I had someone break off that beast's Achilles' heel and keep it. You can verify it!"

Zhou Mu stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked Chu Feng in the shin, not too hard, not too soft. "Get up! Do you think I'm a garbage collector?!"

He walked back to the window with his hands behind his back, his tone still sharp, but the menacing chill was gone. "Idiot! You've been used as a pawn and you don't even know it! Where in Jiangnan Base City did you find a Black-Scaled Poisonous Dragon? And it just so happens to be there to ambush you?"

"You've practiced martial arts so much that your brain is all muscles? Go back and lead three months of frontline patrols yourself, and get lost!"

Chu Feng felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, knowing he had passed this hurdle, and quickly replied, "Yes! Thank you, Commander!"

"Thanks my ass!" Zhou Mu waved his hand without turning his head. "Get out of here. Just looking at you makes me angry. Also, have your men take those corpses away."

Chu Feng nodded in acceptance, then turned on the walkie-talkie and gave the order in a deep voice. The rapid reaction force, which had been waiting in advance, quickly moved into the manor and began to clear the battlefield in an orderly manner.

They watched as corpses covered in white sheets were placed into black body bags and neatly arranged. But when the Zhou family guards slowly carried out the particularly different coffin, everyone involuntarily paused, for inside lay the invincible war god, Gracie.

Chu Feng silently watched as the coffin was carefully placed on the truck provided by the Zhou family, his fingers unconsciously tracing the cold edge of the walkie-talkie. Watching the convoy slowly drive away from the manor gate, he suddenly sighed softly, as if talking to himself: "Taking away the corpse of an invincible war god with the Black God Armor... Ha, the weather in Jiangnan is probably about to change!"

......

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Kyoto, a deathly silence and chill pervaded the royal council chamber.

The heavy mahogany doors were tightly shut, cutting off all light and sound. The Wang family elders, usually high-ranking and powerful, sat around the round table, their faces a mixture of emotions. The air was thick and stagnant, and even the heavy cigar smoke couldn't mask the panic seeping into their hearts.

"The news... has been confirmed."

The second master of the Wang family, sitting to the right of the main seat, spoke with a dry voice, as if sandpaper was being rubbed.

"Real images have come from the Jiangnan base city... The energy detection satellite has captured energy fluctuations unique to planetary-level systems, with the source traced to the Zhou family manor. Immediately following this... Gracie's life signal disappeared, and all members of our two teams completely lost contact."

He paused, each word uttered with extraordinary difficulty:

"completely annihilated."

boom! !

A middle-aged man sitting at the lower end of the table slammed his fist on the table, causing the precious rosewood to groan under the weight.

His eyes were bloodshot. "How is this possible?! Wasn't Zhou Mu's very essence damaged, and he was already exhausted?! Mu Yajing... we paid such a high price to obtain this information! Gracie... she's an invincible war god! An existence invincible below the planetary level! And she has a divine artifact like the Black God Set, how could she not even escape from Zhou Mu who just broke through?!"

"That's just how it is." Wang Jie, the current head of the Wang family, who was sitting in the main seat, spoke slowly. His face was equally ugly, but compared to the others who were out of control, he still had a trace of composure that he was forcibly maintaining. However, the hand he was holding on the armrest, with his knuckles clenched so tightly that they turned white, betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

"We underestimated him. Not only did he not die, but he also used Mu Yajing... or some other opportunity to cross that insurmountable barrier in one fell swoop."

"Planetary level..."

Another elder murmured, his voice trembling. Those three words echoed in the council hall like a death sentence. They knew all too well what this meant, and they knew Zhou Mu all too well—a ruthless character who had truly crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"He won't let us go!"

A shrill female voice rang out, filled with despair: "Given his vengeful nature, this time we're going directly to rob him of any hope of survival, to exterminate his entire clan... This is a blood feud, an irreconcilable sworn enemy! He... is probably already on his way!"

These words were like an icicle, piercing through the last shred of hope.

A commotion immediately broke out in the council chamber, and a sense of oppressive fear began to spread.

"What's the panic!" Wang Jie suddenly raised his voice, silencing the noise in the council chamber. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on an old-fashioned red communicator on the table.

"Our Wang family has not yet reached the point of desperation."

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes: "Immediately activate the highest level of authorization and request to connect with Councilor Tuoba!"

"Master, what do you mean...?"

"A request for help, or rather, mediation." Wang Jie's voice lowered, carrying a resigned weariness. "Only if Councilor Tuoba, who is also a planetary-level being and has a powerful background, intervenes, might Zhou Mu be able to temporarily halt his path of revenge."

"Tell him that our Wang family is willing to pay any price that will satisfy Zhou Mu for this foolish action."