Swallowing the Stars: The Birth of a Cosmic God King

Yan Ning has returned.

It took seven days in total.

From brandishing their swords northward to returning in triumph.

In seven days, the greatest threat on the Azure was completely eliminated by him alone, with just a knife.

The moment Yan Ning landed in Nanjiang Base City, he called Qin Mufeng.

"Old Qin."

"You're back? How are you? Are you injured? What's the situation with that king beast?" Qin Mufeng's voice was urgent, and a series of questions came at him.

"The great calamity has been eliminated," Yan Ning said, uttering four words.

Silence began on the other end of the communication.

"Within the Arctic Circle, all monsters of Lord level or above that pose a high threat have been eliminated."

"I've kept some of the remaining seriously injured or crippled junior lords to use for raising Gu. You can send people to investigate afterward, but I suggest waiting at least a month to let those remnants wear each other down first."

"Are you sure?" Qin Mufeng's voice trembled slightly.

"Sure."

"Where is that white behemoth?"

"He's dead." Yan Ning paused. "I can't bring the body back, it's too big, but I brought one of his horns, I'll show it to you later."

There was silence again on the other end of the communication.

This time, there was a long silence.

Then, Qin Mufeng let out a long breath, as if he had released all the pent-up anger that had been weighing on his heart for the past six months.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"I'll arrange an awards ceremony right away. You need to come up to the stage and say a few words to the public. Besides, the biggest threat to the blue sky has been eliminated, and all of humanity owes you a thank you."

"No need," Yan Ning said. "Let's rest for a while."

"Then when will you...?"

"We'll talk about it later," Yan Ning interrupted him. "Also, Lao Qin, help me compile a list of rare metal veins on Azure. I'll give you a list later."

"A rare metal vein? What do you need that for?"

"it works."

"The bigger the better, the more abundant the reserves the better."

Although Qin Mufeng was puzzled, he still agreed.

"Okay. Give me the list, and I'll have the Federal Geological Survey check it."

Thanks.

Yan Ning hung up the call.

......

The Palace of the God of War.

Qin Mufeng put down his communication watch, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling.

The office was quiet.

Only the old photograph on the wall, a picture of Honghuang in his youth, silently watched him.

"Old Hong."

Qin Mufeng muttered to himself, "The person you're looking for is better than you."

He closed his eyes, his mind filled with the four words Yan Ning had said.

The major threat has been eliminated.

Four words, yet they carry immense weight.

Six months ago, he and Honghuang joined forces, but were beaten by that white behemoth, suffering broken arms and bones, and were forced to retreat in a sorry state.

Six months later, Yan Ning solved the problem alone in seven days.

What does this mean?

This means that Yan Ning's strength has far exceeded his and the primordial world's understanding.

"The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward." Qin Mufeng gave a wry smile. "It's time for us old-timers to retire."

He sat up straight and began dialing numbers.

Inspector Lu, Inspector Liu, Zhao Zhengguo, Lin Beiyue...

The message was sent out one by one.

The first reaction of everyone who received the news was silence.

Then came disbelief.

Then came ecstasy.

Then came... a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

That shadow that weighed on everyone's hearts, forcing the azure sky to retreat to 66 degrees north latitude.

Gone.

That's it...gone!

......

The Palace of the God of War, Council Hall.

The holographic projections of the six inspectors sat in a circle, the atmosphere completely different from a month ago.

That time was heavy, oppressive, and filled with anxiety from a lack of hope.

Now I feel relaxed, relieved, and grateful to have survived a disaster.

"Seven days."

Inspector Lu held up one finger. "From departure to return, in seven days, he single-handedly solved a problem that our entire Azure region had been struggling with for decades."

"It's not just a white behemoth."

Inspector Liu added, "He has cleared out all the high-threat lord-level creatures within the Arctic Circle, and the remaining crippled ones pose no threat."

He also said that we could go and investigate in three months.

Another inspector shook his head and laughed, "He even thought of the finishing touches for us. This young man is truly impeccable."

"So..." Inspector Lu looked at Qin Mufeng, "Old Qin, what are your plans?"

Qin Mufeng had already made up his mind.

"First, issue a public announcement to inform the entire world that the threat from the Arctic boundary has been lifted. This cannot be hidden, nor is it necessary to hide it."

"Secondly, Yan Ning is awarded the title of 'Azure Hero,' a title that has not been awarded since the Primordial Era."

"Third," Qin Mufeng paused, "Yan Ning is promoted to the seventh inspector of Azure."

There was a moment of silence in the council chamber.

Inspector.

The highest combat power in the Azure ranks, second only to the Primordial Era.

The six inspectors are all veteran planetary-level powerhouses who have fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and each of them has made great contributions to Azure.

Yan Ning broke through to the Planetary level in just over half a year, and yet he became an Inspector?

But no one objected.

Because everyone knows that Yan Ning is capable of taking this position.

It's not about "being able to sit down".

It is "no one but him".

"Agreed." Inspector Lu was the first to raise his hand.

"Agreed," said Inspector Liu, the second to respond.

"agree."

"agree."

"agree."

Passed unanimously.

......

News from the major base cities arrived a step behind that from the War God Palace, but not by much.

Shenghai Base City.

Zhao Zhengguo stood in front of the large screen in the command center, looking at the message "Arctic threat lifted," and remained silent for a long time.

Then he turned around and faced everyone in the command center.

"Starting today."

"The pressure on Sheng Hai's coastal defense has been reduced by at least 70%!"

Surprisingly, not a single person cheered.

But everyone's eyes were red.

Those veterans who guarded the coastal defenses for ten or twenty years, those soldiers who watched helplessly as their comrades were dragged into the deep sea by sea monsters, those warriors who risked their lives to fill every gap in the beast tides...

They can finally get a good night's sleep.

......

Beiqin Base City.

Lin Beiyue's reaction was more direct.

He read the message Yan Ning sent him three times, and then dialed the number of the North Qin Air Force Regiment.

"All reconnaissance planes, take off and search every inch of the northern mountains. I need to confirm one thing: are all those bird kings and beasts hiding deep in the mountains truly dead?"

Three hours later, the reconnaissance plane transmitted a report.

All known king-level monster lairs on the outskirts of Northern Qin are empty.

Some nests showed signs of fighting and bloodstains, but no corpses.

In either case, the aura of those king beasts completely disappeared.

Lin Beiyue put down the report and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes in the Beiqin Base City are twinkling.

Those lights have been extinguished countless times by beast tides over the past few decades.

But starting today...

"Probably not," Lin Beiyue muttered to himself.

......