Chapter 1 The Crumbling World

Xu Jingming sat at his desk, the Temporal Stardust floating before him, waiting for his mind power to penetrate it.

"This is..."

A single grain of stardust contained a world within.

But this world was broken!

Xu Jingming's consciousness observed this shattered world: "An absolute spherical world with a diameter of 3212.3817 kilometers."

The spherical space had land and void. The fact that it had been cut into an 'absolute sphere' meant that it was already broken. From the moment Xu Jingming's consciousness began to observe it, this shattered world escaped its frozen, sealed state and continued to collapse.

The land was collapsing! Rocks, soil, metals, and various other materials were utterly annihilated into cosmic source power during the collapse, and the temporal and spatial turbulence was incredibly violent…

"Temporal and spatial fluctuations can actually be this chaotic," Xu Jingming's consciousness observed, marveling. "Over the years, I have cultivated and experimented in the cosmic starry sky, testing my moves time and time again, but I have never felt such chaotic space-time."

In the past, the temporal and spatial fluctuations he had seen were like waves on a river or tides on the sea.

But at this moment!

It was as if the entire ocean had been completely overturned and collapsed! The chaos was many times stronger.

"Is this the true power of space-time?" Xu Jingming experienced it, deeply shaken.

Having been a Source lifeform for so many years, and because his No. 9 Primordial Battle Armor was the most adept at manipulating space-time, Xu Jingming had devoted a lot of effort to this aspect.

He had been studying the 'space-time wormhole model,' the 'cosmic rift model,' and the 'attached space model' in the six major source power structure models of evolution, and he was not far from fully mastering them. He had also cultivated other source power models.

For example, the 'space-time well model,' the 'cosmic prison model,' the 'origin disintegration model'…

Although he had only mastered some simple aspects of the models he had also cultivated, and only understood parts of the more difficult ones, Xu Jingming's accumulation in space-time—in order to exert the power of the Primordial Battle Armor—was no less than that of the light lineage.

The more he understood, the more shocked he became as he observed this collapsing, broken world.

"All matter has completely collapsed, and space-time has become a chaotic torrent," Xu Jingming observed. The collapse of the land lasted for more than an hour.

"Hmm?"

"Space-time itself has also begun to collapse."

Xu Jingming watched in disbelief.

In a normal universe, no matter how chaotic the temporal and spatial turbulence, space-time itself would still be intact. It was like a planet; even if there was constant fighting on the surface, and everything was in chaos, the planet itself would be stable.

But now, in the 'Temporal Stardust,' a section of the broken world was such that space-time itself could no longer be maintained.

"Whish, whish, whish~~~"

Like the sound of ocean waves, the surface layer of the chaotic space-time became unstable and began to split, disintegrate, and be destroyed.

"So, this is the shallow layer of space-time." Xu Jingming greedily observed every scene of the shallow layer of space-time collapsing. This scene contained endless changes, and many of Xu Jingming's past confusions were resolved.

"The attached space model—how exactly is the attached space 'attached'? I understand now. This is the connection of the shallow layers of space-time." Xu Jingming understood one of the difficult points of the 'attached space model.'

Sometimes learning was difficult to understand, but seeing it with one's own eyes brought sudden enlightenment.

"There are so many space-time interlayers?" Xu Jingming watched. "Why is space-time stable? Why can't even the 'space-time well' completely tear space-time apart? It turns out that there are so many space-time layers, intertwined with each other, and the stability is unbelievably high."

Although Xu Jingming had studied space-time knowledge, he only knew about twelve of the space-time interlayers. But at this moment, hundreds of layers intertwined before his eyes, and as they collapsed, even more space-time layers appeared.

"The Prison race is good at void遁形 (dunxing—evading by entering the void), but unstable space-time fluctuations will reveal them. The space-time layers clearly have a great impact as well."

"This is the 'shadow layer' in the space-time layers…"

"This is the 'mirror layer' in the space-time layers…"

Xu Jingming watched.

This kind of space-time collapse was rare, and even the virtual world network could not simulate it! Even among the three supreme realms of the human race in the universe, only the master of the Temporal Island had a way to extract a collapsing space-time world with Temporal Stardust.

After extraction, it would be in a frozen, sealed state.

When external forces penetrated the 'Temporal Stardust' to observe it, the frozen, sealed state would be affected and disappear, and this section of the broken space-time world would continue to collapse.

"Our universe is stable and intact, so we can't see such a scene at all. I heard that Temporal Stardust was brought back from a higher-dimensional space by the master of the Temporal Island," Xu Jingming said excitedly.

Over the years, he had studied so many source power models of the space-time lineage.

But this time, witnessing the fundamental collapse of the entire space-time allowed him to see space-time clearly from the inside out, from the most superficial layer to the deepest layer.

"Mr. Jian's 'Mirror Domain' is the control and utilization of the space-time mirror layer. If Mr. Jian can perfectly master it, the 'Mirror Domain' can be elevated to the highest 'Mirror Universe' level, which is a cosmic legend," Xu Jingming watched.

"This is the flow layer of the space-time layers… Space-time fluctuations can be so violent, and space-time wormholes can cross such a long distance; it is a key factor."

"I understand!"

"The origin disintegration model! No wonder it needs to construct a 291-layer superimposed structure; isn't it aimed at the layers of space-time?" The source power structure model of 'origin disintegration' appeared in Xu Jingming's mind, and when compared with the space-time layers, many confusions became clear.

"The human race前辈 (qianbei—senior) who created the 'origin disintegration' model must have carefully looked at every layer of the space-time layers, understood the detailed structure, and then created this move in a targeted manner."

"I am confident that if I study it for a few more months, I will definitely be able to completely master the 'origin disintegration model.'"

Xu Jingming was extremely excited.

He continued to watch.

This section of the broken space-time world was still collapsing, and the further it went, the more thorough the collapse became.

…

Wu Gou Star Alliance, Yunxia Star System, Yanquan Star.

Meng Tian carried his bag and walked on the street, where countless people came and went.

"Taking back the villa they gave me, taking back the virtual chamber they gave me, taking back everything they gave me—is this a warning to me?"

"Fortunately, the Cosmic Human Alliance still has laws to protect the rights of stellar lifeforms. Even if my father tries every means to squeeze me, signing contracts in various names, he still has to give me the most basic share of income."

"So I still have some money, and I can still buy what I want through interstellar logistics."

"If there were no laws, I'm afraid I would be a slave."

"In reality, I'm not much different from a slave now." Meng Tian walked to a villa, which he bought with his own money. He bought it with cosmic currency, and even though his father was suppressing him, he was very happy to sell it.

Because according to the laws of the Cosmic Human Alliance, children who become stellar lifeforms must receive a share of income. Therefore, his father used various means of buying and selling to try to get money from his children's pockets.

"Virtual chamber."

Meng Tian glanced at the virtual chamber but didn't go in. Instead, he turned and went to the bedroom next door. He threw down his backpack, lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and spaced out.

"Three days."

"Senior Sister asked me about the situation in reality. I've been avoiding her for three days. What should I do? What should I say?"

"My only relationship after so many years… I'm not willing, I'm not willing."

"But how can I resist the large number of contracts my father signed with me? And how can I resist the power of the Qingyuan family?" Meng Tian felt powerless. His father was only one of the members of the Qingyuan family, yet he possessed a power that he could not resist. The Qingyuan family was an even more enormous entity.

"This kind of life where I'm squeezed dry, a life where I can never see hope… what's the point of living?" Meng Tian lay there.

Although the sun was shining brightly outside, Meng Tian only felt an extremely heavy sense of oppression, so oppressive that it made him unable to breathe.

He looked to the future but could not see any hope.

He once thought that exchanging a lifetime of making money for his father would buy him the freedom to love. But as it turned out, even his marriage was predetermined.

"Hahaha…" Meng Tian laughed softly, mocking himself for living like a pathetic worm.

******

Virtual World Network, Pearwood World.

Pearwood World was the 'official world' established by Pearwood Corporation. In a magnificent office building…

Xu Lixing sat at her desk, overlooking the beautiful Pearwood World through the glass window beside her. Because the two highest executives of Pearwood Corporation were both women, the entire Pearwood World was also designed in a beautiful and magnificent style.

"Miss, this is the contract with the Chimeng Corporation, and it needs your signature." A subordinate handed a document to Xu Lixing.

Xu Lixing took it and quickly scanned the entire contract with her eyes as a stellar lifeform. She smiled and nodded. "Chimeng Corporation is our primary partner, so we can relax a little on the payment terms. There's no need to be so harsh."

"This…" The subordinate said helplessly, "This is what the Chimeng Corporation themselves requested."

"Alright."

Xu Lixing nodded and immediately signed her name. With the virtual world network notarizing it, it naturally had legal effect.

"Send the contract to the other party," Xu Lixing said.

"Yes." The subordinate took the document and left.

At this time, another female subordinate also entered the office and respectfully handed three documents to Xu Lixing. "Miss, these three documents all require your signature for confirmation."

According to the rules of Pearwood Corporation, any transaction that reaches the level of '10 billion cosmic coins' must be signed by either Xu Lixing or Li Miaomiao. If it exceeds '100 billion cosmic coins,' it requires both of them to sign before it takes effect.

Xu Lixing looked at them, frowned slightly, signed two of the documents, and said to the other, "Have your team study this one again."

The female subordinate's expression changed slightly, and she nodded slightly. "Yes."

It had been rejected.

Although her team of subordinates was excellent, and she would approve most of their work, she would still reject anything she was not satisfied with.

Li Miaomiao may have been trying to cultivate her daughter, or perhaps she was just being lazy. She delegated the group affairs that her daughter could handle to her, and she would only review those that required her review as well.

Therefore, Xu Lixing was the de facto manager of the group.

Over the years, with Xu Jingming repeatedly increasing his investment, Xu Jingming alone had invested a huge amount of 3 trillion cosmic coins into 'Pearwood Corporation.' This made Pearwood Corporation a large group that ranked among the top in the Wu Gou Star Alliance.

Of course, it was still very ordinary in the Hunter Cosmos Domain. After all, this amount of money could only buy a few star system territories.

Xu Jingming's spoils of war over the years were naturally far more than that, but he gradually increased his investment according to the group's expansion speed, so that the group could expand steadily.

"Three days."

After Xu Lixing finished her work, she sat alone in her chair, looking at the scenery of Pearwood World through the glass window. "My junior brother has not been online for three days! He hasn't even responded to the messages I sent him."

Xu Lixing frowned.

"I asked him about the situation in reality, and he said he would go back and ask his elders? And then he disappeared? Even if we broke up, there's no need to do this, right?" Xu Lixing lightly tapped the light screen. "Minister Liu, come to my office."

"Yes."

Soon, Liu Yige, the Minister of the Intelligence Department of Pearwood Corporation, arrived at the office. As an outstanding talent of the Blue Star civilization, Liu Yige felt pressure to be able to serve as a minister in Pearwood Corporation. He worked even harder, striving to satisfy the two highest executives.

"Miss," Liu Yige arrived and saluted respectfully.

"Minister Liu," Xu Lixing looked at him. "I want you to investigate a person. His name is Meng Tian Qingyuan, he is 35 years old, a seventh-order stellar lifeform, and he is from the Hunter Cosmos Domain."

"Do you know which Star Alliance he's from?" Liu Yige asked.

Xu Lixing shook her head. "How long will it take to find him?"

"The Hunter Cosmos Domain is too large, but a seventh-order stellar lifeform who is 35 years old, with an accurate name, is relatively easy to find," Liu Yige said. "However, the Cosmic Human Alliance officially restricts citizen information. We can investigate Wu Gou Star Alliance in more detail, but other Star Alliances… will require some effort. If he is in the Wu Gou Star Alliance, we can find him within three days. If he is in another Star Alliance, it may take about a month."

"That long?" Xu Lixing frowned.

"Fortunately, there are very few seventh-order stellar lifeforms who are 35 years old. Information about such talents will be collected by various parties. Plus, we have his accurate name, so I think we have a good chance. Otherwise, under the citizen information confidentiality system, it would be impossible to find ordinary cosmic citizens," Liu Yige explained.

"Then investigate as soon as possible, the sooner the better," Xu Lixing instructed.

"Yes, Miss." Liu Yige immediately accepted the order and went down.

Xu Lixing sat alone in her chair, smiling softly. "Hiding and not going online? You think I can't find you?"