Chapter 59: The Price of Re-Gifting and a Dying Star

My little brother has grown up, and it’s perfectly normal for him to be finding a girlfriend now.

Still, Lin Ling felt a slight pang of annoyance that he was re-gifting the Valter Soul Gem she had prepared for him. ‘Does he not treasure his big sister’s gift?’ she wondered. ‘Is a girlfriend really more important than a sibling?’ Though, she had to admit, the gem was undeniably beautiful, so A-Hui choosing to fashion it into a necklace was understandable.

Besides, she had only told him it was a blessing charm, and given his materialistic nature, he likely hadn’t given it much thought.

Well,

The gem wasn’t particularly rare; the Elf Emperor had given her several. Perhaps she would prepare another one for A-Hui when she had time.

If that gem could help her acquire a sister-in-law, it would, in a way, be put to good use.

After shedding her male disguise and summoning a few clones to tidy the chaotic room, Lin Ling settled into her usual routine, studying magic with Little White.

Although she technically didn’t need to learn magic now, as her reincarnation memories supposedly held all the relevant knowledge, her childhood chuunibyou tendencies made her unwilling to wait three years to delve into it.

However, once she began, Lin Ling found magic to be a profound disappointment. She had imagined that, as a Battle Sovereign, she would master an array of potent and overpowered spells, effortlessly unleashing Holy Domain magic upon her foes.

Instead, she discovered she was an attribute-less anomaly.

This meant that apart from spells requiring no specific attribute or those of a teleportation nature, Lin Ling couldn’t learn anything. All those flashy light-attribute and lightning-attribute spells waved goodbye, dissolving into mere fantasies.

It was quite disheartening; her dream of becoming a grand archmage had evaporated.

‘Ugh, this is so frustrating!’

Yet, Little White mentioned that Battle Sovereigns rarely used magic in combat, save for enhancement and teleportation spells. That, at least, was a silver lining; she wouldn’t have to worry about magic becoming a weakness.

Today, Little White’s lesson primarily focused on shapeshifting magic—a common art among non-human races like the Dragon, Abyssal, and Crimson Phoenix tribes. This magic, however, could also be used in reverse.

Little White mainly taught how to discern an opponent’s true form through shapeshifting magic. After all, a Battle Sovereign could reconstruct their body with Sacred Spirit Power to assume any appearance. If Lin Ling wished, transforming into a giant dragon would be no issue, though it would require a sustained expenditure of spiritual energy.

‘Shapeshifting magic, how fascinating.’

‘Wait, can Little White use it?’

Lost in thought, Lin Ling’s gaze drifted from the whiteboard to the eloquent little white cat beside her.

Noticing Lin Ling’s attention, Little White paused her lecture, leaping onto Lin Ling’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Master? Did you not understand something?” she asked, a hint of confusion in her tone.

Lin Ling habitually stroked Little White’s head. “It’s nothing, really. I was just wondering if you could use shapeshifting magic?”

“I can’t. My rank is too low, and even if I tried, I wouldn’t have enough spiritual energy to maintain it.”

“Oh…” Lin Ling’s voice held a note of disappointment.

“Master, do you dislike my cat form?”

“No, of course not. I love it. It’s just… a super intelligent AI paired with a cat feels a little… odd,” Lin Ling admitted, scratching her head awkwardly.

Little White pondered this for a moment. “Master, it’s fine if I can’t use shapeshifting magic. I can create a body myself!”

“Huh?!”

“You can do that?!”

“Yes, I can! Lady Bisika gave me some liquid Germa metal before, which would be perfect for this! Master, could you tell me what form you’d prefer?”

‘Liquid Germa metal?’

‘When did Little White and Bisika become so close? Weren’t they always bickering?’ Lin Ling mused. ‘And where has Bisika gone recently? That mischievous loli seems to have vanished these past few days.’

“Master?”

Little White’s voice chimed in again.

“Oh, right, hold on. Just a moment…”

‘But if she can make her own body, then, hehehe…’ Lost in thought, Lin Ling quickly pulled out her phone and began searching.

****

Origin Star Universe.

Western Eighth Star Region.

Third-tier civilization, the Kosta Tribe’s main city.

The once magnificent and picturesque main city was no more. All that remained were shattered ruins and countless riddled buildings, an unmistakable scene of a dead city.

The only difference from a true dead city was the chaotic gunfire emanating from the city center, mingled with the screams of the surviving populace. Yet, these weren’t mere shouts; they were the insane, chilling roars of maddened demons.

At the heart of the city, soldiers in black uniforms formed a defensive line, blocking and slaughtering the continuously surging “civilians.” Guns, cannons, spiritual energy, magic, swords—a myriad of attacks were relentlessly launched at their former residents without hesitation. Had they gone mad?

Not truly. Although the soldiers were engaged in a “massacre,” the despair and agony etched on their faces spoke volumes of their inner helplessness.

The battle raged on, but the situation was dire. As the fighting continued and the enemies multiplied, the well-trained army gradually faltered, slowly giving ground. More and more soldiers were devoured and corrupted by the “civilians.”

Just as the defense line was on the verge of complete collapse, a sudden green laser swept through. Sadly, it was not for support.

In an instant, all the “residents,” along with the defensive line and the defending army, were reduced to ashes under the laser’s destructive sweep.

The green laser did not stop there but continued its trajectory towards a grand hall not far ahead. Everything in its path was turned to dust.

However, the towering sanctuary in the distance did not idly await its fate. Under the command of the general, three formidable guardian barriers and protective shields formed directly in front of the laser.

Yet, in a mere flash, the triple defense utterly collapsed before the laser’s brutality. In the blink of an eye, it shattered into the purest spiritual particles, utterly powerless to resist.

Still, they were not entirely useless. Due to the defensive barriers’ influence, the laser’s trajectory shifted, missing the sanctuary and instead soaring into the sky, vanishing into the vast cosmos.

The sanctuary was temporarily saved.

But witnessing this, the commander could not rejoice. He knew full well that this laser was merely a greeting from their adversary. As he had anticipated, after the laser dissipated, a cyan figure appeared in the dust before the sanctuary.

Upon recognizing the newcomer’s face, the commander instantly plunged into profound despair.

The hand he had intended to use to signal a counterattack fell limply to his side.

“Heaven wishes to annihilate our Kosta Tribe!”

“Boom! Boom!”

After a series of earth-shattering tremors, no one remained alive before the sanctuary except for the cyan-haired man.

—

Inside the hall,

Noratu, the High Priest of the Kosta Tribe, was anxiously conversing with his guard captain.

“It’s not ready yet?! How long has it been? They’re all scum! All useless! Ahhh!”

Raging, hysterical shouts filled the entire hall. The once glorious Saint-tier High Priest now showed no trace of a leader’s elegance.

The guard captain, who was being berated, bowed his head in despair. He was utterly disillusioned with this tribe and its leader, yet his principle of loyalty forbade him from abandoning this irrational monarch like the others.

Just as he was about to speak, attempting to soothe the High Priest’s agitated mind, a cyan light flew in from outside the hall, piercing directly through his chest.

The guard captain didn’t even have time to react to what had happened.

He simply perished, his life extinguished without value.

Seeing this, High Priest Noratu trembled as he slowly turned to face the figure walking into the hall. Unparalleled terror seized his heart.

To save himself, he cast aside all dignity, hastily kneeling before the cyan-haired man, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Against a Battle Sovereign-level opponent, his supposed dignity as a Saint-tier powerhouse was utterly insignificant.

“Lord Ifis! Spare me! I… I, I haven’t been infected by the power of the outer realms! I’m still normal! It was all a conspiracy by that guard captain and our temple general!”

But his explanation seemed to hold no interest for the other party.

“Those who meddle with the outer realms shall be executed without mercy,” the cyan-haired man declared in an emotionless, chilling voice, speaking in the ancient divine tongue.

“No! I just…”

Noratu still attempted a final plea.

However,

Before he could finish speaking, Noratu horrifyingly discovered he could no longer utter a sound. A massive amount of life force rapidly drained from his body, and his once robust physique instantly withered into dry bones. His consciousness gradually faded amidst despair and regret.

Seconds later, the once formidable High Priest of the Kosta Tribe was reduced to nothing more than a pile of ash, which scattered without a trace as a gust of wind blew in from outside the hall.

Watching the dissipating soul, and confirming there were no survivors, the cyan-haired man resolutely turned and departed, preparing to leave this dead star devoid of all life.

(In Elven)

“The Kosta Tribe has been completely annihilated, and the extra-dimensional energy has been purged,” the cyan-haired man stated emotionlessly as he walked out of the hall.

At that moment, the mechanical watch on the man’s wrist emitted a pleasant female voice. “Lord Ifis, you’ve worked hard. I am now preparing the teleportation array to return you to the Elf Tribe. The Queen is very…”

“No need,” the man’s undeniable voice cut off the woman’s words.

“This rare leisure time, I’ll arrange it myself.”

“Huh?! Lord! Wait! The Queen has already prepared… Hey, hey, hey! Don’t hang up on me!”

Then, amidst the woman’s frantic and anxious cries, the call was disconnected.

“Snap!”

With a resounding snap of his fingers, a rift tore through the desolate space, appearing before the cyan-haired man.

And on the other side of the rift,

Lay Blue Star, the planet currently captivating the attention of the entire Origin Star Universe.