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

Virtual universe, Heilongshan Island.

On luxurious islands and magnificent manors suspended in mid-air, the top leaders of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's various leading families and forces received urgent communications from the Thunder World almost simultaneously.

"What did you say?! Total annihilation?!"

Inside the grand hall of an ancient, colossal castle, an old man exuding terrifying pressure suddenly rose from his throne. Due to extreme shock, the power of the world around him even crushed the long table made of precious materials in front of him into powder.

"Tens of thousands of elites at the ninth level of the Eternal Star realm were slaughtered by some Eternal Star realm brat who appeared out of nowhere, using the Law of Lightning to summon calamity lightning?! Do you take me for a three-year-old?!" The old man's roar echoed in the hall.

On the other end of the screen, the surviving family genius was filled with terror, almost on the verge of tears: "Clan leader! It's absolutely true! We saw it with our own eyes! He could not only easily tear apart spatial rifts, but also control the lightning in the Wind and Thunder Canyon! That was definitely a fluctuation of the laws! He just came out of a hidden space in the Thunder World, and he most likely carries the complete inheritance of that Thunder World Lord!"

A similar scene was playing out simultaneously in various hidden spaces within the virtual universe.

Shocking! Unbelievably shocking!

Immediately afterwards, this shock was quickly replaced by overwhelming anger and uncontrollable greed.

Tens of thousands of elites at the ninth level of the Eternal Star realm were nothing to the forces of the Black Dragon Mountain Star Region; even a cosmic-level power could easily muster a few hundred Eternal Star realm warriors. But compared to this loss, the Thunder Realm Lord's inheritance, the immortal-like legacy, and the monstrous talent in the laws that the person who carried out this massacre might possess were what drove them mad with envy!

"Quick! Find out everything about that guy right now!"

"He comprehended the power of laws at the Hengxing level? He definitely has a shocking secret!"

"Pass on my order! Deploy immediately! Have the First Elder and Second Elder personally lead the teams, mobilize the fastest spaceships in the clan, and send them to Canglan Star at full speed!"

"Block it! Block the exits of the Mercenary Alliance on Canglan Star at all costs! Since that kid participated in the assessment, he'll definitely have to come out and hand in his mission! As soon as he shows his face, capture him immediately! Dead or alive, just take the spatial ring he has!"

In an instant, the undercurrents within the entire Black Dragon Mountain Empire surged violently.

Dozens of powerful domain lords, who were usually aloof and in charge of their respective regions, boarded spaceships and transformed into streaks of light, frantically leaping towards Canglan Star with murderous intent.

A massive net targeting Zhou Mu is rapidly closing in on the outskirts of Canglan Star!

……

However, just as the outside world was in an uproar over his killings, Zhou Mu, at the center of the storm, had already used his foresight about the plot and his powerful strength to quietly avoid all possible spies in the Thunder World and calmly pass through the star gate connecting to the outside world.

Canglan Star, the training base for cosmic mercenaries.

The huge plaza was bustling with noise, where countless martial artists from various star systems gathered.

In stark contrast to the oppressive and bloody atmosphere of the Thunder World, this place is filled with the technological feel and order of the modern universe.

Zhou Mu's figure emerged from the spatial ripples. He was calm, just like an ordinary examinee, and walked straight towards the hall of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance in the distance.

The hall was bustling with people.

Zhou Mu walked to an empty counter and casually took out three Windhorn Stones that shimmered with a deep blue halo, as well as a horn of a Unicorn Iron Rhinoceros, from his spatial ring and placed them on the metal counter.

"Hello, submitting the trainee mercenary assessment mission," Zhou Mu said calmly.

The staff member behind the counter scanned Zhou Mu's identity information, their pupils suddenly contracting, their hand trembling so much they almost dropped the Windhorn Stones. They quickly suppressed the turmoil in their hearts and, with a voice trembling with awe, processed the paperwork: "Three Windhorn Stones, one horn of a Unicorn Iron Rhinoceros, energy reaction correct, meets the assessment standards. Congratulations, from this moment on, you are officially a one-star mercenary of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance."

As he spoke, the staff member respectfully handed over a mercenary medal that symbolized his status.

Zhou Mu accepted the medal, casually pinned it to his chest, and turned to walk out of the hall.

At this moment, many furtive figures had appeared in various hidden corners around the plaza outside the mercenary hall.

These are all spies planted by various forces on Canglan Star. After receiving the emergency order from the virtual universe, they, like hyenas, kept a close eye on every martial artist who came out of the Thunder World.

"That person... blood-red armor, white hair, carrying a long spear... Quick, check the image on the personal terminal for comparison!"

"One hundred percent match! It's him! That monster who slaughtered tens of thousands in Wind and Thunder Canyon!"

"He's out so quickly? The domain lords are still on their way! What do we do?"

In a hidden corner, a dozen greedy and cold eyes instantly locked onto Zhou Mu.

Several spies with cosmic-level cultivation exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with a fierce light. They secretly mobilized their primal force, preparing to forcibly take down Zhou Mu regardless of the consequences.

However, before these spies could make a move...

"boom--!!!"

An extremely terrifying pressure, like ten thousand mountains collapsing at the same time, descended upon the entire square without warning!

This oppressive aura was filled with domineering and destructive power, far exceeding the cosmic level, and was a terrifying force that had reached the level of a domain lord!

Under this oppressive aura, the spies from all sides who were just about to make their move were struck dumb, their faces pale as they were pinned to the spot, unable to move even a finger, their eyes filled with extreme terror.

"roll!"

A cold snort, like a muffled thunderclap, exploded in the minds of the spies, causing them to cough up blood and become listless.

Zhou Mu stopped, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked in the direction of the oppressive aura.

The crowd parted like a tide, and a burly man over five meters tall strode toward him.

The giant was dressed in black battle armor, his skin was bluish-black like a demon god, and his whole body exuded a suffocating aura of menace.

On the chest of this burly giant was a very conspicuous badge representing Virtual Universe Company!

Ming Yu strode up to Zhou Mu, his superior gaze now filled with undisguised admiration, devoid of any arrogance.

"I am Ming Yu, an external deacon from the Black Dragon Mountain branch of the Virtual Universe Company. I've heard about your exploits in the Thunder World—you single-handedly fought against tens of thousands of Star-level warriors who were trying to kill you!"

"So it really was you who achieved a thousand-win streak in the Killing Space!"

Exclusive! An exclusive interview with Le En Buleng and behind-the-scenes look at the creation of "Swallowing the Stars: The Life-Saving Panel Comes to Cost You a Life in Your Later Years," available only to those who wish to participate.