Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 263 - 182: The Birth of the Demon Lord

Chapter 263: Chapter 182: The Birth of the Demon Lord

How to save a planet that is undergoing "cocooning" and on the brink of death?

Duan Mingyuan believed that in theory, as long as the energy level was strong enough to cover the entire planet with a barrier, and then use the barrier’s energy for transformation, it would greatly eliminate the energy of "cocooning."

"Cocooning" is closely related to the planet’s own will, according to the theory provided to him by He Ya.

The alteration of the surface came from an inspiration Duan Mingyuan drew from the "Golden Hourglass."

His use of barriers had matured once again, which was why he enjoyed engaging in academic discussions with anyone. He could always draw inspiration from different ways of thinking.

The essence of the "Golden Hourglass" was to awaken the mechanical energy that existed throughout the planet, transform its form, and thus change the entire planet’s surface. Duan Mingyuan then infused life’s vitality into the land that had been transformed by this mechanical energy.

The more life energy the planet retained, the slower the "cocooning" would proceed, until it completely stopped.

"’Cocooning’, has it stopped?"

After who knows how long, Mr. Owl came to his senses as if awakening from a dream.

His eyes were wide open, not even sparing the time to blink.

Compared to what he was witnessing now, miracles like curing the Flesh Curse seemed like nothing in comparison.

Universe Company and Shanqi Commerce Association had been striving for centuries to stop "cocooning" and to peer into its secrets. Yet, until the night fell today, no civilization had ever escaped the process of "cocooning"; they were either destroyed by it or became cosmic refugees.

However, Duan Mingyuan had stopped the "cocooning" of Mechanical Star single-handedly.

Shanqi Commerce Association also witnessed all of this with Mr. Owl.

The flagship of the Chamber of Commerce was anchored not far from Mechanical Star. They had received reports and pleas for help from Earth Wolf Twelve, but they did not plan to take any action.

Because all the turmoil on Mechanical Star was within their plans.

The Sixteen Star Summit directed the entire Universe’s attention to this planet, and they could use this attention to witness the birth of a "Demon Lord"— a "cocooned" planet and countless vanishing souls would sing praises for the Demon Lord’s arrival.

Soon, the entire Universe would know the Demon Lord’s name.

But just now, there had been a change in their plans.

The "cocooning" of Mechanical Star had stopped, and signs of life were reemerging on the planet once shrouded by desert and barrenness.

They saw lakes and seas, continuous mountains, and lush forests.

It was as if...

They were witnessing the divine process of creation described in the scriptures of the Church.

And it didn’t require a lengthy seven days; just fifteen minutes had passed since the first blue river appeared.

The entire process was sacred and majestic, yet it left them feeling an inner chill.

This was beyond their current comprehension, and entirely different from bringing down a company flagship or defeating a few Long Branch Imperial Guards, it reminded the Shan Clan people of the time when Flashing Star had not yet perished, when the God of Trade was their sole belief, and how the Shan Clan people had once dwelt in the Mortal Realm, looking up to the deities from the earth.

"Land under the guise of a rescue boat to find out what has actually happened on Mechanical Star," the captain ordered, after an unknown period of silence.

...

Two hours after the turmoil at Gear Hotel had stabilized, the Chamber of Commerce’s rescue shuttle finally arrived late. The rescue team captain conveyed his sincerest condolences to Earth Wolf Twelve and all the Chamber staff at Gear Hotel, commending their bravery and claiming that if they wished, they could leave the planet aboard the rescue shuttle at any time.

Earth Wolf Twelve did not give the rescue team a warm reception. Even the most foolish could guess the strategy of the company, especially when he had experienced betrayal before, and he and his entire Ranger squad were left to wait for death on a planet undergoing "Cocoon" transformation.

Whether it was the company or the Chamber of Commerce, the rescue team always arrived a step too late.

Only after the "Cocoon" transformation process had stopped for a good while would they hypocritically come to offer condolences. Amid their consolations, they also hinted broadly at a strong interest in the legacy of the first great craftsman.

They seemed to want a definite answer that the miracles happening on Mechanical Star were all due to the legacy of the first great craftsman; the transformation of the entire planet was the result of tireless efforts over countless eras by many great craftsmen of Mechanical Star, not a casual stroke of a traveler passing by.

This would disrupt all the plans of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Flashing Star had been destroyed in a bet with the god of trade, and now, it seemed they were on the path of making the same mistake again.

Everyone knew that stopping a "Cocoon" transformation and reviving a planet on the brink of destruction is much more difficult than destroying one.

Both the company and the Chamber had destroyed countless planets, but had never truly saved any collapsing planet, including their own homelands.

Declaring war on a "divinity" did not seem like a wise choice.

Earth Wolf Twelve didn’t want to get involved in the never-ending ambitions of the Shan Clan People, those ambitious folks had a lot, but they always wanted more.

At the moment, they were desperate to know the whereabouts of Duan Mingyuan.

"I don’t know."

Following his conscience, Earth Wolf Twelve impatiently dismissed the Chamber’s envoy. He also didn’t want to think about where Duan Mingyuan had gone, but he knew that the transformation of the planet was inseparable from Duan Mingyuan.

It had been a long day, and now he needed to find a place to get some good sleep.

Meanwhile, Duan Mingyuan was resting his head, slightly tired, on Jiuyue’s tail.

The Fox Demon’s tail was soft and fluffy, and it had the effect of inducing peaceful sleep.

Extending the Barrier to every corner of Mechanical Star was truly energy-draining. The exhaustion from working overtime without sleep for three days surged up again.

Jiuyue placed his hands gently on Duan Mingyuan’s forehead, caressing it tenderly, "Mr. Mingyuan, your rest reminder assistant reminds you that it’s now 1:02 AM. It’s time to sleep."

The Royal Court of Mechanical Energy had many lavishly decorated rooms, and this was one of them.

Every noble of the Royal Court had fled in flying vehicles, and now, fearfully, it seemed only they remained in the immense Royal Court.

She sat on the soft big bed in the style of a Buddha statue, fully enjoying the brief peace after the turmoil.

As for Mr. Owl, who had many questions, he fell asleep on the spot after stepping into an empty space while walking and hitting his head on the railing.

Mr. Owl slept on the cold floor; he too had been through a whole day of running around and needed a good rest.

Seeing Duan Mingyuan close his eyes, Jiuyue hummed a soothing, sleep-inducing tune, leaned down, and touched his forehead with a kiss as light as a dragonfly’s touch.

"Have sweet dreams, and may you also see me in them."