Swallowing the Stars: The Birth of a Cosmic God King

Kunlun Base City.

The Palace of the God of War.

Qin Mufeng sat in the conference room, his face ashen.

On the holographic screen, Yan Ning's communication had been lost.

The conference room was full of people.

Five of the six inspectors were present, and more than twenty councilors participated via holographic projection. Almost all the core members of the War God Palace were also present.

Everyone heard the conversation.

"Is he crazy?"

Inspector Lu was the first to speak, equally incredulous, "Going to the Arctic Circle alone? That's a place even the ancient wilderness suffered greatly from!"

"I don't think he's crazy."

Inspector Liu shook his head. "He's just gotten arrogant. After Sheng Hai's attack, everyone in Azure was praising him. Young people can't handle that kind of praise."

"If I were younger, I would have been even more arrogant than him!"

I disagree.

The old war god with gray hair stood up. "I've met Yan Ning, he's not that kind of person. He must have his own reasons for making this decision."

"Considerations? What considerations could be more important than life itself?"

"Then tell me, who can stop him now?" the old war god retorted. "Even Inspector Qin couldn't stop the Primordial Chaos in the S01 ruins. Who among you thinks they can stop him?"

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Yes.

Who can stop him?

After Sheng Hai's strike, Yan Ning had become the de facto number one player on Azure.

No one knows how strong he really is.

But to kill a planetary-level third-tier king beast with a single strike without even turning its head—at least among those present, no one could achieve such combat power.

Even a Qin Inspector, at the fifth level of the Planetary Realm, couldn't achieve this.

After all, the monsters are still far stronger than human warriors.

"We have to stop them even if we can't."

Qin Mufeng finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "He is Azure's last hope; we can't let him take such a risk."

"How do we stop them?"

Inspector Lu spread his hands, expressing his helplessness. "He's now the 'Zhenhai Yan Ning,' the people see him as a savior. If you forcefully stop him, will the people agree? Will he agree to it himself?"

"Then let the people persuade him."

Zhao Zhengguo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

All eyes turned to him.

"Use official media to release the news that Yan Ning is going to the Arctic."

Zhao Zhengguo said, "Don't directly say it's dangerous, but let's subtly reveal the true situation in the Arctic Circle: the strength of that white behemoth, the story of the severed arm, and the truth about our forced retreat to 66 degrees north latitude."

"Are you crazy?"

Qin Mufeng turned his head sharply, "If this information leaks, social panic will—"

"Is it more serious than Yan Ning's death?"

Zhao Zhengguo's words left Qin Mufeng speechless.

"What we need to do now is not to make decisions for Yan Ning."

Zhao Zhengguo said, "It's to let him see public opinion, to let him know that he is not alone, and that his life is more important than anything else!"

"Retreat is fine, it just means a few more years of hardship, but Yan Ning, this mountain, absolutely cannot fall!"

The meeting room remained silent for a long time.

Qin Mufeng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Let's do it this way."

......

That morning.

Major official media outlets simultaneously released the following message:

[Director Yan Ning plans to travel to the Arctic Circle to further investigate the movements of the King Beast]

The wording was very restrained, without any words like "dangerous" or "adventure".

However, the accompanying image is a topographic map of the Arctic Circle, with several key pieces of information marked on it:

At 66 degrees north latitude, the azure sky retreats to defend its position.

The Arctic Circle, the heart of the white behemoth's territory.

And a line of smaller print: "During Operation Frozen, Lord Honghuang and Inspector Qin Mufeng joined forces but were no match for the white behemoth. Lord Honghuang's right arm was broken, and Inspector Qin Mufeng's left arm was fractured."

This is the first time the authorities have officially acknowledged the failure of Operation Freeze.

The news caused another uproar online.

"What? Lord Honghuang lost an arm? Operation Frozen has failed?"

"I knew it! I knew it was strange that Lord Honghuang hadn't shown up for half a year! Turns out something really happened!"

"Wait a minute, aren't you guys focusing on the wrong thing? Yan Ning is going to the Arctic Circle? He's going to fight that white behemoth?"

"No way?"

Sheng Hai's strike was indeed fierce, but that was a third-tier planetary-level king beast. What level is the white behemoth? Even Lord Honghuang and Inspector Qin combined couldn't defeat it!

"Director Yan, don't go! Let's proceed cautiously! We can afford to wait!"

"Yes, retreating is fine. It'll just mean a few more years of hardship. But if something happens to you, Azure will truly be finished!"

"Can the hashtag #YanNingDontGo# get trending? Let Director Yan hear our voice!"

"#Yan Ning, don't go# A message from Sheng Hai. You've already saved Sheng Hai, don't gamble with your life again!"

In just a few hours.

The topic "Yan Ning, don't go" topped the trending search list.

The tone of the comments section is completely different from what it was after Sheng Hai's fatal blow.

Before, it was a time of celebration, praise, and the belief that "one man and one sword can subdue the vast ocean."

Now, there is more worry, more pleading, more "Your life is more important than anything else."

The most liked comment in the Blue Daily comment section is only one sentence:

"Director Yan, the mountain can be pushed slowly, but it cannot collapse."

Likes: 9,125,000

......

Nanjiang Base City.

Yan Ning sat on the balcony, scrolling through her phone.

Top trending topic: Yan Ning, don't go.

Second trending topic: The mountain can be pushed slowly.

Third on the trending topics: Director Yan's survival is more important than anything else.

He read through them one by one.

Someone commented that they were a fisherman from Sheng Hai, and that they used to be terrified every time they went out to sea, but now they are not afraid because "Director Yan is there".

Some people say they are college students who used to feel hopeless about the future, but now they want to apply to the War God Academy because they "want to become someone like Director Yan".

Some people say they are retired war gods who have fought monsters for thirty years and are covered in wounds. They originally felt that their lives were worthwhile, but after seeing Yan Ning's slash, they felt that "they can fight for a few more years."

Each and every one of them is from a living, breathing person, and every word is sincere.

Yan Ning put down her phone and looked into the distance.

The sun is rising on the horizon.

"Mountains can be pushed down slowly."

He muttered to himself, repeating that sentence over and over.

How to put it? It's a strange feeling. If I had to describe it, it's more of a sense of being needed, trusted, and entrusted... a feeling of security.

"Then push it slowly."

He stood up and walked into the living room.

His four wives had all woken up and were holding their children, waiting for him.

Qin Xiuyue looked at him, her eyes slightly red, but she didn't say anything.

Shen Yao was already wiping away tears.

Zhao Zixuan bit her lip and remained silent.

Su Wanqing lowered her head, her hands holding Yan Qing trembling slightly.

"I'm not going," Yan Ning said.

The four women raised their heads at the same time, and their eyes suddenly lit up.

"I won't go for now."

Yan Ning added, "Let's clear out the beast tide in the south first, then expand from one base city to another, slowly but surely, from south to north."

Qin Xiuyue finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly: "Really?"

"real."

Yan Ning walked over, took Yan Xiu from her arms, and kissed the little guy's forehead. "You can push the mountain slowly, but you can't make it collapse, right?"

Shen Yao burst into laughter through her tears: "That's what netizens said!"

"They're all the same."

"They're all the same."

Yan Ning held her son, looking at the rising sun outside the window.

......