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

At the edge of the sky, a black shadow pierced through the clouds at an incredible speed.

It was a gigantic, saucer-shaped spaceship, about a hundred meters in diameter, entirely black, with a cold, metallic sheen on its surface. A giant dragon with outstretched wings, its fangs bared, was printed on its hull, lifelike in its form.

The spaceship hovered dozens of meters above Zhou Mu, and the bottom hatch slid open silently, revealing a figure.

Luo Feng was dressed in dark red armor, his aura was much stronger than it was two years ago, and he was much more composed.

Behind him, Babata's phantom floated out, its purple eyes wide open, staring at the unconscious giant beast on the sea surface, its small mouth slightly open, not closing for a long time.

"A golden... golden-horned behemoth?!"

Babata's voice changed, "How could a place like Earth have a cosmic behemoth?! And a Golden Horned Behemoth at that! That's the pinnacle race among cosmic behemoths! Adults there are already peak Realm Lords!"

She floated above the golden-horned behemoth, circled it several times, and made sure she wasn't seeing things.

"That's right! Black scales, a golden horn, and golden runes all over its body... This is the Golden Horned Beast!"

"Judging by its size, it's only a Planetary Level 5 beast. Zhou Mu, where did you get this golden-horned giant beast cub?"

"It came to us of its own accord."

Zhou Mu shrugged and explained, "It descended upon Earth three months ago and was discovered in time by the Thunder Dragon Emperor."

Babata stared at him for a long while, then suddenly sighed, "It's a good thing you made arrangements beforehand, otherwise, if this little guy had grown up, it would have devoured the entire Earth!"

"I have to say, you're incredibly lucky. After two years of seclusion, you came out and captured a priceless golden-horned behemoth. Some of the strongest beings in the universe would never even come across it in their entire lives, and you got your hands on it so easily."

Luo Feng stood beside Zhou Mu, looking at the enormous creature on the sea, then at his master, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Master, the surprise you said you'd give me... is this guy?"

Zhou Mu nodded: "I beat this guy up, and weakened his soul to the extreme. Now is the perfect time for you to possess it."

"Possession?"

Luo Feng was stunned.

Babata floated in front of him, hands on his hips: "Kid, did you learn your possession technique for nothing?! You don't even know what possession means, do you? It's destroying its soul so your soul can enter and take over its body, and then this golden-horned behemoth's body will be yours!"

Luo Feng was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Master, I don't want to give up my human identity."

Zhou Mu looked at him; the young man's eyes were firm, without the slightest hesitation or wavering.

Babata grew anxious, "Do you even know what the Golden Horned Beast's talent means?"

"Your strength is decent on Earth, but in the universe, you're nothing more than cannon fodder! By possessing this body, you're destined to become a realm lord, and perhaps even an immortal god! It's an opportunity that countless powerful beings in the universe dream of obtaining!"

Luo Feng shook his head again. "I know this is an incredible opportunity, but I was born human. Cultivation, fighting, and becoming stronger are all for the purpose of protecting those around me... If even my own body is no longer human, what's the point of me becoming stronger?"

Babata stomped his feet in anger, his long silver-white hair standing on end like a cat's fur standing on end.

"Why are you so stubborn! What does it matter what race your body is? Your soul is what matters!"

Zhou Mu raised his hand, stopping Babata from continuing.

"Luo Feng".

He began, "I've learned that the Golden Horned Beast possesses a unique innate technique called 'Doppelganger'."

Luo Feng raised his head.

"The clone can create up to three clones, and each clone can choose a different race."

Zhou Mu looked at him and said, "If you don't want to give up your human body, that's fine. For your first clone, you can choose a human body."

"You will still be you, nothing will change. But this body of the golden-horned behemoth will become a powerful trump card on your path to growth."

Luo Feng fell silent.

Zhou Mu continued, "Besides, whether someone is human or not is not determined by the body, but by the soul."

"Your soul is human, therefore you are human."

Babata nodded sharply, then added, "And with this golden-horned behemoth's body, anyone who wants to touch Earth will have to ask for your permission first."

……

Luo Feng remained silent for a long time. The sea breeze ruffled his hair. He thought about his cultivation over the years, about every struggle on the edge of life and death, and about what his master had told him: Our goal cannot be limited to Earth.

He took a deep breath and finally nodded.

"Master, I understand!"

Babata breathed a sigh of relief. "This kid has finally come to his senses. Having such a stubborn disciple is going to be a nightmare for me."

Then it floated to Zhou Mu's side and said in a low voice, "Zhou Mu, don't worry. My Meteorite Star lineage will not take advantage of you as a nominal disciple for nothing. The value of the Golden Horned Beast is far greater than the Wood Crystals I gave you before."

She swiped her finger through the air a few times, bringing up an interface that Zhou Mu had never seen before.

"I still have 10 units of mixed-element cash in my secret stash, consider it compensation. I'll transfer it to you after you open an account with the Universe's First Bank. Don't tell Luo Feng about this; if that kid knew I had some secret stash of money, he'd probably be eyeing it every day."

Zhou Mu gave Babata a strange look, but she glared back defiantly: "What are you looking at! I've been saving this up for years! If it weren't for the fact that this kid is the last direct disciple of Meteorite Star, I wouldn't have given him a single extra penny!"

Zhou Mu smiled indulgently: "Okay, I'll do as you say and not tell him."

Babata then flew back to Luo Feng's side with satisfaction, looking him up and down: "Luo Feng, have you thought this through? Possession is no joke. Although Zhou Mu has weakened the soul of this golden-horned beast to the extreme, if your soul can't withstand it, you'll still be finished."

Luo Feng took a deep breath: "I've made up my mind!"

"Let's begin then."

Babata tapped his fingers a few times in the void, and streams of data spread out in the air. "The Golden Horned Beast's soul resides in its primordial core. Your soul needs to break through its primordial core, go in, destroy its consciousness, and then take over that body. Remember, once you're inside, don't hesitate, don't give it any chance to breathe."

Luo Feng nodded, closed his eyes, and his soul power surged from between his eyebrows, transforming into an invisible light that entered the primordial core in the chest of the golden-horned beast.

Babata stared nervously at the massive body, her slender, snow-white fingers twisting together. Zhou Mu stood to the side, his gaze calm.

……

I don't know how much time has passed.

The golden-horned behemoth's body twitched violently, then fell back down. A few seconds later, it twitched again, and then fell completely still.