Swallowing the Stars: The Birth of a Cosmic God King

Yan Ning sprinted through the ruins.

With his mental power spread out, he could perceive every blade of grass and every tree within a radius of several hundred meters.

"The Frost Giant Bear's strength is roughly between that of a beginner and intermediate-level warrior."

"In the past, I would have had to worry about the beast's cold aura weakening my close combat ability, but now that I have the Curved Blade Disc in hand, taking its life from a hundred meters away is just a matter of a thought."

"Let's finish this soon; it's still too dangerous outside."

The moment Yan Ning said those words, he was stunned for a moment.

Once upon a time, he was an ordinary martial artist who walked on thin ice in the wilderness, always prepared not to return after each outing.

Even facing a high-level beast soldier requires going all out; the slightest mistake could lead to utter destruction.

Now, facing the Frost Giant Bear, a beast general-level being, all he could think about was "ending this as soon as possible."

The system changed not only his abilities, but also his mindset.

But Yan Ning quickly composed himself.

My current abilities are simply not enough in front of a true powerhouse.

Essentially, he was still a junior officer who had retired due to illness.

Insufficient status.

They also lack a voice.

This recruitment is the best proof.

After using up his two exemptions, he must answer the call to duty, or he will be forcibly sent to the battlefield and even his right to retire due to illness will be revoked.

A single order from the organization could send him away from his pregnant wife and into this wilderness where he could die at any moment.

"Therefore, I have no choice at all."

Yan Ning's gaze deepened.

"The Frost Giant Bear is just rushing to give me merit points."

He quickly calculated in his mind that the merits from this recruitment, plus the extra exemptions after the recruitment of retired martial artists due to illness, should be enough to last until Shen Yao and Zhao Zixuan finished giving birth.

Shen Yao's due date is still more than four months away. Zhao Zixuan has just become pregnant, and it will take at least eight more months before the baby is born.

Eight months.

Just get through these eight months...

"As long as a descendant with apprentice-level genes is born, the system's double reward will be granted!"

Yan Ning's breathing became slightly rapid.

The critical hit reward during the propagation process of the "Branching and Spreading" quest alone allowed him to draw a planetary-level Arc Blade Disc.

What will be the positive reward for the birth of the first offspring?

The fruit of life?

Bloodline potion?

Or is it an even more advanced secret technique?

"At that time, my strength will inevitably see a new increase, and it's not impossible for me to leap to the level of a War God!"

By then, who will be able to drag him out of his home with a single order?

Who else could make his pregnant wife live in fear?

Of course, there is also the joy of becoming a father.

But he quickly suppressed that tenderness.

With external threats looming, he had to consider more factors.

Strength is the only asset that can protect this family.

......

Roar!

A deafening roar came from several kilometers away, the sound waves shaking the rubble in the ruins.

Yan Ning's mental power instantly detected that massive life signal.

"What good luck! It just so happens to be nearby?"

The open ground ahead.

A giant gray-white bear, over ten meters tall, is roaring with its head held high.

Frost Giant Bear, Beast General level.

Its entire body is covered with thick, grayish-white fur, each hair as hard as a steel needle.

Its thick limbs were planted on the ground, and the surrounding temperature was several degrees lower than in other places. There were even tiny ice crystals falling in the air.

Yan Ning stopped two hundred meters away and hid behind a half-collapsed wall.

"Two hundred meters is enough."

He took a deep breath, and his mental power surged forth.

Three silver blades silently slid out of his sleeve and hovered in front of him.

The Frost Giant Bear seemed to have sensed something.

He suddenly turned his head and let out a low, warning growl in the direction of Yan Ning.

A chilling aura surged around him, and a layer of white frost quickly formed on the ground.

"It's too late."

Yan Ning's mind raced.

Three blades were fired simultaneously, silently and with lightning speed.

The first blade was aimed directly at the Frost Bear's forehead.

The second blade traced an arc from the left, precisely bypassing the bear's blind spot and heading straight for the back of its head.

The third blade cut in from the right, blocking all its possible escape routes.

The Frost Bear sensed the threat of death and roared furiously.

A sudden burst of cold air erupted from its body, and a visible layer of icy blue light spread outward from it.

The water vapor in the air instantly condensed into ice crystals, forming a thick layer of ice on the ground.

It wanted to use its cold aura to slow down those three silver lights.

But it didn't work.

A planetary-level blade is simply not something that a beast-general-level chill can withstand.

Three blades, three penetrating wounds, all completed in almost the same instant.

The Frost Bear didn't even have time to let out a second roar before it crashed to the ground.

It took no more than ten seconds.

A giant ice bear of beast general level fell silently in the ruins!

Yan Ning emerged from his hiding place and went to the giant bear's carcass.

He crouched down and skillfully peeled away the material with a dagger.

The Ice Giant Bear's crystal core is ice-blue, icy cold to the touch, and emits a faint halo.

"One, a little over ten million."

"That's not bad, at least we have money for the baby's formula."

He stood up and glanced at the map on his communication watch.

The K-17 area is marked with several locations where the Frost Bears are distributed, each marked with a prominent red circle.

There was also a note next to it: "Danger. It is recommended that warriors of the general level or above go in a team or take an alternate route."

Yan Ning glanced at it, closed the map, and continued walking towards the next red dot.

How can I describe this feeling?

An unprecedented sense of ease.

For the first time, Yan Ning truly felt the terror of the Meteorite Star Controller's Secret Technique and the Arc Blade Disc. Beast general-level monsters were like tofu in front of him, without even a chance to resist.

The communication watch vibrated again.

A new group message popped up:

[Reminder: At least six Frost Bears have been confirmed to be active in area K-17. All teams are advised to avoid them and not to act alone. Again, do not act alone.]

Yan Ning glanced at it and then closed the message.

Instead of giving way, he quickened his pace.

Six heads? Perfect.

The merit points from those six Frost Giant Bears are enough for him to safely get through the crisis conscription before the system settlement!

......

Half an hour passed.

The clusters of red dots on the communication watch are decreasing at an alarming rate.

Many squad leaders noticed this scene.

"What's going on? The signal from the Frost Bear is disappearing?" A squad leader stared at his watch, his brow furrowed.

"Did the command center use some heavy weaponry?" another person speculated.

"It doesn't look like it."

"If it were heavy weapons, we should have heard some noise. Look at how fast they disappeared—six heads, all gone in less than half an hour."

"What did that do?"

"Could it be that some strange creature has mutated again and needs to eat?"

No one can answer this question.

But everyone noticed one thing: the roars around them were getting less and less frequent.

With the absence of beast hordes, the teams' progress increased significantly.

Regardless of how you look at it, this is a good thing.

The squad leaders suppressed their doubts and continued to head towards the next target point according to orders.