Swallowing the Stars: The Birth of a Cosmic God King

Jiangyuan Base City.

Operations command center.

Even though everyone had become immune to most of Yan Ning's moves, and even thought, "I won't be surprised no matter what, because you're already very strong," etc.

But when I saw what was happening in front of me...

Dead silence.

Absolute silence again!

On the holographic screen, the crack, stretching for several kilometers and more than a hundred meters deep, resembled a scar etched into the earth and into the hearts of everyone.

"What...what kind of swordsmanship is this?"

Someone was muttering to themselves, their voice trembling.

No one can answer.

Because they don't even know what this move is called.

All they knew was that Yan Ning's single strike in Shenghai had instantly killed a planetary-level third-tier king beast, which was already quite outrageous.

But at least with that strike, you could see the blade's edge, hear the sound of it cutting through the air, and feel the burst of energy.

And this one cut...

There's nothing there!

It was as if Yan Ning had casually swung his knife, and the earth had cracked open!

"Watch closely."

Xu Kai's voice was hoarse, "The edges of the crack are smooth, not from an explosion or a split, it's like... an erasure?"

"Erase?"

"Yes, everything within the crack's radius is gone; it was...destroyed."

The command center fell silent once again.

After a long while, someone cautiously asked, "Director Yan... what level of cultivation have you reached?"

No one can answer.

Because the answer may be beyond their comprehension.

......

The short film has been released again.

This time, there was neither the violent aesthetics of Sheng Hai's slash nor the artistic sensibility of the Northern Qin spiritual master.

There was only one crack.

A crack that stretches for several kilometers and is bottomless.

And Yan Ning's back as he sheathed his sword.

The official media outlets are starting to run out of words.

[Blue Daily] reposted, with the following text:

"He swung his sword, and the earth split open. We don't know what kind of swordsmanship it is, we just know it's incredibly powerful!"

[Blue China News] reposted, with the following text:

"A month ago, Sheng Hai killed a king-level beast with a single strike. A month later, Jiang Yuan cleaved the earth a thousand meters in two with a single strike. His growth rate is much faster than we imagined!"

[Blue Central Television News] reposted, with the following caption:

"He cultivates both martial arts and spiritual cultivation, uses the Arc Blade Disc and the Cloud-Piercing Vine, and now he has added an unknown and terrifying sword technique. Just how many trump cards does Yan Ning have left?"

......

Comment area.

"I'm fucking devastated! What the hell is this sword technique called?!"

"No, look closely, he just waved it casually! He didn't even make a stance!"

"The last strike still had a visible blade of light, but this strike didn't even have that light, and then the ground cracked... What's the principle behind this?"

"#Yan Ning Sword Technique# Please, please give this sword technique a name, otherwise how can we brag about it!"

"No need to name it, just call it 'Yan Ning's One Slash.' From now on, all sword techniques will be divided into two types: Yan Ning's One Slash, and the others."

"Speaking of which, haven't you guys noticed... that Yan Ning seems to be getting stronger and stronger? And increasingly ridiculously strong?"

"Nonsense! He cleared out the beast tides of three base cities in a month. Anyone else would have been exhausted by now. The more he fought, the more energetic he became."

"I suspect he's not even a planetary-level being; he's at least a planetary-level being."

"Impossible. According to the records of the ruins, a breakthrough at the star level would cause a commotion on a standard planet."

"Then what is he?"

"He is Yan Ning."

"...That makes sense."

......

The Palace of the God of War.

Inspector Lu stared at the crack on the holographic screen and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he turned to look at Qin Mufeng.

"Old Qin."

"Um."

"Can you withstand this blow from your grandson-in-law?"

Qin Mufeng remained silent for a long time.

"Of course... I can't catch it."

Inspector Lu nodded and did not ask any further questions.

On the holographic screen, the crack is still there, like a mark of an era.

Before the knife marks lay the old era.

After the knife marks, came the era of Yan Ning.

......

Yan Ning's announcement of his break finally brought a slight sigh of relief to the entire Azure team.

"I told you, even if this person were made of iron, they couldn't possibly keep fighting at this high intensity all the time, right?"

"Clearing out the beast tides of four base cities in a month—Shenghai, Beiqin, Linhai, and Jiangyuan—each with a beast horde of millions. Anyone else would have been exhausted long ago."

"Let him rest. Azure won't be short of a few days."

online.

The public's reaction was surprisingly consistent; it wasn't some kind of disappointment or anything like that. The vast majority of them felt sorry for the person.

After Sheng Hai's attack, Yan Ning's image in the public eye had changed from "strongman" to "pillar".

The pillar can hold things up indefinitely.

But no one is willing to let the pillar hold on forever.

at the same time.

Taking advantage of the momentum, the official media of Azure released a formal statement regarding the whereabouts of the Primordial Chaos.

[Honghuang, the man who once single-handedly held up the blue sky, now travels alone to the S01 ruins in search of a solution to the crisis.]

Previously, he passed the torch to Yan Ning.

Now, Yan Ning has proven to us that this azure sky is never short of upright and honorable people.

The accompanying picture is an old photograph.

A profile of a young Honghuang, standing on ruins, his battle sword resting on the ground, with the corpses of beasts covering the mountains and plains behind him.

The photo has a yellowish tint, but its powerful aura still comes through, transcending time.

This is the first time the authorities have officially acknowledged that the primordial wilderness is no longer azure.

As soon as the news came out.

The focus of public opinion quickly shifted from "Why hasn't Honghuang shown up for half a year?" to another, more pointed question.

Who is stronger, Honghuang or Yan Ning?

The debate continues unabated.

"Lord Honghuang is a veteran powerhouse, a fifth-tier planetary-level expert. He fought his way out of the Cataclysmic Era, and his combat experience is unmatched."

"Yan Ning instantly killed a third-tier planetary-level king beast with a single strike, without even turning his head. Could Lord Honghuang do that?"

"Lord Honghuang also killed a King Beast back then! Wasn't that second-tier Planetary King Beast in the Great Northern Wilderness killed by Lord Honghuang alone?"

"That was so many years ago! Lord Honghuang was at the fifth level of the Planetary Realm, and Yan Ning had only broken through to the Planetary Realm a little over half a year ago! How can you compare them?"

"A short breakthrough time does not mean weak strength. Have you forgotten Sheng Hai's strike?"

Have you forgotten the spiritual power of Northern Qin? Have you forgotten the thousand-meter-long, earth-shattering gash at the source of the Yangtze River?

"I still think Lord Honghuang is stronger, after all, his foundation is there."

In the end, someone posed a question that no one could answer:

"Wait, does anyone know what realm Yan Ning is at right now?"

The comment section fell silent for a moment.

Only then did everyone realize the problem.

"Yeah! We keep raving about how strong he is, but nobody really knows what level he's at!"

"Official data shows that Yan Ning broke through to the planetary level six months ago. But there have been no updates since then."

"Planetary level one? Two? Three? Or... higher?"

"It can't go any higher, right? With the resources on Azure, advancing from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in six months is already the limit."

"But that one strike from him... a first-tier planetary-level being can instantly kill a third-tier king beast?"

"Have you ever considered the possibility that Yan Ning's true strength has never been revealed?"

"It's terrifying to think about!"

In other words, we might have been using the concept of "Planetary Level 1" to measure someone who could instantly kill a Level 3 King Beast?

"So, what exactly is Lord Yan Ning's rank now?"