Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 742 - 351. Shan Yu

Chapter 742: 351. Shan Yu

Zhi Xiang’s statement made Li Aozi fall silent.

From how it addressed him as ’Gravity Manipulator’ and ’Starry Abyss Person,’ it was clear that since Li Aozi arrived on this planet, he had been under Zhi Xiang’s surveillance.

This was not surprising, as the fellow Primordial Species, Lord Entropy, also had the ability to monitor planets, let alone the mandate Zhi Xiang held, which had subtle resonance with Li Aozi’s [Gravity].

However, it had essentially blocked all paths, firmly resolved to drive Li Aozi away.

Li Aozi had no choice but to say:

"I need some time to reflect upon my true intentions."

Claiming to ’reflect upon his true intentions,’ he merely wanted to delay, taking the time to probe Zhi Xiang’s weaknesses, if any, to potentially exploit.

Zhi Xiang forbade him from resisting the Void, but he could spread his Pathway. Wouldn’t his self-cultivated [Mutants] be beyond Zhi Xiang’s control?

"In that case, you can stay temporarily in the village, but you must handle your own daily affairs."

Zhi Xiang said calmly:

"Here, you must not spread your Pathway, especially your Sovereign’s Path. Morphederia’s Pathway only brings pain."

Tsk—

Li Aozi clicked his tongue slightly; his little scheme had been directly seen through by Zhi Xiang.

Besides that...

Li Aozi glanced to the side.

"The Knight Merid seems to be missing?"

"Hmm?"

Zhi Xiang hesitated slightly and said faintly:

"No need to worry, she has her own rules of conduct. Perhaps she went to the restroom."

[...’Perhaps’?]

Li Aozi squinted his eyes narrowly.

By now, he was already at the level of a master’s degree in intelligence, able to catch the discord in Zhi Xiang’s words.

[A Primordial Species capable of sensing the entire planet wouldn’t be unclear about the movements of someone right under its nose, would it?]

Going along with the flow, Li Aozi immediately asked:

"Come to think of it, you seem to have a good relationship with Knight Merid?"

"...Do we?"

Li Aozi keenly sensed Zhi Xiang’s hesitation and shrugged, asking casually:

"For other Dragon Satellite people, you either control them religiously or turn them into animals to reduce food consumption. Only Knight Merid has been given great freedom."

"There’s no difference; you misunderstood, Star Abyss visitor."

Zhi Xiang dismissed him with a single sentence, then immediately issued a dismissal order:

"You may leave now. Rain will fall at three in the morning."

"Then, I’ll take my leave."

Li Aozi nodded slightly and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps away from the shrine and ensuring no one was around, he used gravity to bend the light, entering an invisible state, waiting silently at the entrance of the shrine.

Not long after, small animals started to come out in groups, happily heading down the mountain.

Li Aozi waited for a while longer. When the last Shar Pei emerged from the shrine, it did not leave immediately but sniffed around curiously.

"Strange..."

The Shar Pei looked toward the wall, only a step or two away from Li Aozi.

"It feels like there’s something here, woof..."

"Angie!" A mackerel tabby cat called out: "Meow, what are you doing? Everyone’s heading back."

"This place feels strange. I seem to sense an unpleasant aura."

"Quit making a fuss. You’re not really a dog; there’s no way your sense of smell is that magical. Don’t get left behind; the kitchen has bone soup today. If you’re late and don’t get any, don’t blame us for not saving some for you."

"What? Bone soup? Wait, save some for me..."

The Shar Pei happily trotted down the mountain with the cat.

Li Aozi crossed his arms and continued to wait.

Until night fell, he did not see anyone emerge from the shrine.

He continued waiting; after all, he was not in a hurry and could take the opportunity to handle some simulated management.

Although Dialan, as a top student, could relieve him of a lot of pressure, Baizhu Star was still a bona fide interstellar civilization, involving many complex departments, and it was all too easy to spark diplomatic disputes. Often, Li Aozi had to use [Charm] to smooth things over.

Speaking of which, it was the first time Li Aozi had heard that Dialan was a native of Baizhu Star, or at least she had lived there from a young age. Culturally, she relied more on Baizhu Star than other places.

After graduating from university, Dialan could have chosen to stay in the Crystal Tower Civilization, where she had better prospects, or even gone into narratology, but she was willing to stay and contribute to her homeland, which made Li Aozi very gratified.

In reality, his current team was short of manpower. Players could only sustain low-end labor; the high-end combat capabilities currently relied on him, Dialan, and Nephis.

As for administration, economy, and logistics personnel, Li Aozi had some suitable candidates — his two good buddies from university were still hanging out in different dimensional worlds.

It wasn’t a life-and-death situation... After all, those other dimensional worlds were of such low level that knowing the Pythagorean theorem made one a Great Sage. Even an Alpha Stage physical education graduate could dominate those realms, with six tons of strength able to shatter the void.

Not to mention that someone as simple and stupid as Nimotin could wreak havoc there. Sending a Mingji Professor there would likely elevate him to the god of knowledge.

People like Hobbs and Lucite, one an omniscient scholar and the other an academic macho man, Li Aozi only worried if those other dimensional worlds could withstand their formidable Delta Rank (4) power.

They might not even have enough to challenge them.

Once he resolved the current affairs, Li Aozi intended to pull those two out, one for intelligence and the other for construction.

Due to the myriad of tasks, they only talked briefly. Li Aozi didn’t reveal the truth about Dragon Satellite, keeping his promise with Zhi Xiang.

He looked up at the shrine.

Still, no one came out.

[Wait a bit longer.]

Time passed by the second and minute.

Li Aozi glanced at the system’s time: it was now four in the morning on Dragon Satellite.

It would start raining in an hour.

"Still no one came out."

Li Aozi no longer held out much hope. After all, he had stayed for so long and Merid had not come out, making him suspect that Zhi Xiang might have seen through his invisibility.

[Could I have been wrong?]

Logically, it shouldn’t be unless Zhi Xiang could even sense the origin of the Arcane Energy activation.

If it could sense that indeed, then it shouldn’t be Zhi Xiang at all. Leoz would abdicate overnight, inviting Zhi Xiang to be the Executer of the Chief God of the [Sovereign] system.

Tracing the activation of Arcane Energy was impossible because it was a process that Arcane Energy holders constantly studied. Even Leoz himself probably couldn’t trace the essence of the mandate. Could Zhi Xiang? That would mean it understood Arcane Energy better than Leoz, and Li Aozi would concede.

As he watched the time continue ticking forward, the air started to become humid. Along with the brewing rain, gusts of wind began to howl through the mountains.

He began to feel a pang in his heart from [Weak Force], which started to cast its power over this world. Every particle in the air began to undergo minor transformations. Their structures became fragile and sensitive, decaying outward, and the radiation levels suddenly surged.

Li Aozi stood at the shrine entrance, waiting quietly.

[The Weak Force has started.]

His suspicion was about to be confirmed.

[Several times, when I felt a pang in my heart, Substance Rain also began to fall. And curiously, only where Merid had been did the Substance Rain fall.]

Combining Zhi Xiang’s hesitation and uncertainty, Li Aozi’s conjecture became increasingly clear.

Drip, drip...

Mountain rain arrived, trees swayed, leaves rustled in the wind.

Substance Rain began to pour down. Any living creature started to flee, desperately avoiding the indiscriminate deadly rain, seeking even a single leaf for shelter, not daring to let any part touch the raindrops for even a moment.

Screams echoed through the mountains as Li Aozi activated the Eye of Truth, immediately glimpsing void monsters dissolving and disintegrating under the torrential rain, their very bones consumed with no trace left.

Even mountain mice, infected with void air, attempting to burrow for safety, were caught by the rainwater seeping underground and drowned.

In stark contrast, the abandoned villages had dogs and cats sleeping soundly to the sound of rain.

Merid once said these children had been abandoned by fleeing villagers, with no one to support or rescue them.

The void could infect like a plague, whereas modern humans, without collective support, struggled to survive in harsh natural environments.

The fragrant bone broth scented the air, smoke rising silkily.

The blue smoke mingled with the heavy rain, dreamlike and illusory.

[...Yes, I understand now. Unless one takes action, it won’t come out.]

The rainwater cleansed the mortal world.

Feeling a sense of understanding, Li Aozi stepped forward and into the rainstorm, seemingly to embrace the downpour.

Plop!

Li Aozi spread his hands, looking up at the umbrella above him, with Knight Merid’s purple eyes showing anger.

"Make sure to bring an umbrella when it rains."

Merid said coldly.

"Back from the restroom?"

Li Aozi teased:

"You talked with Zhi Xiang for quite a while; I was waiting for you to come out."

"You sound like a child waiting for their parent’s pick-up— but I’m not your mom."

Merid didn’t say much more. She turned her head to look at the heavy rain ahead:

"Let’s go, down the mountain."

Li Aozi wasn’t in a hurry to go down the mountain. He turned to look at the shrine, clasped his hands, and said loudly:

"Rain cleanses the mortal world, an umbrella protects all living beings."

Merid stood still.

"Though you claim that life, civilization, and existence are meaningless, in fact, you’re the one who can’t bear to see sorrow and joy, life and death, deserts of life."

With his back to Merid, Li Aozi smiled slightly, as if speaking to the presence in the shrine or to others, he said softly:

"Mr. Zhi Xiang."