Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 308 Becoming a Brand New Being!

Rowan looked at him in surprise: "It sounds very similar to my experience. In that rift valley where the subterranean fire erupted, I also gained a deeper understanding of the Laws of Fire."

Ying and Hong also came over, their expressions equally filled with excitement and shock.

"And you?" Rowan asked. "How's that so-called 'place of knowledge accumulation'?"

Hong's eyes gleamed with a thirst for knowledge: "It's an absolute treasure trove! We've discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization, containing tens of thousands of crystal records that document a vast amount of knowledge about the laws of the universe, energy transformation, and even spacetime folding!"

"An ancient civilization?" Rowan asked in surprise. "Did an advanced civilization ever exist on this planet?"

Ying nodded: "According to our findings, a highly advanced civilization did indeed exist on this planet approximately 500,000 years ago. They mastered the technology to manipulate the planet's energy and created many wonders. But later, for some unknown reason, this civilization suddenly disappeared, leaving only those crystal records and some architectural remains."

“What’s most interesting,” Hong added, “is that civilization seems to have been aware of the existence of planetary consciousness and established some kind of symbiotic relationship with it. Much of their technology and energy utilization is based on an understanding and respect for planetary consciousness.”

Rowan pondered this information: "So, planetary consciousness might be older than we imagined, and might even have experienced the rise and fall of that civilization?"

“Very likely,” Shadow agreed. “Moreover, according to those crystal records, the planetary consciousness continued to evolve and grow after that civilization disappeared, eventually reaching the level where it can directly communicate with outsiders.”

The four sat around the center of the camp, sharing their discoveries and insights from the past three days. Each of them had made amazing gains, not only in their cultivation abilities but also in their understanding of the essence of the universe.

“We’re really lucky,” Thor exclaimed. “If we hadn’t been forced into an emergency jump by Aster, we would never have discovered this strange planet.”

Mentioning Aster, the four of them became serious. Although the past few days of exploration and training had been filled with surprises and gains, they had not forgotten the dangerous situation they were in—Aster, who had partially transformed into a King-level being, was searching for them somewhere in the universe.

"How long until we can establish communication with the Empire?" Rowan asked.

"Six hours until we establish communication with the Empire." Shadow glanced at the time, his expression grave and focused. "I've begun setting up the encrypted channel and quantum communication array. If all goes well, we should be able to establish contact with the Imperial Intelligence Bureau tonight."

Rowan nodded, looking at the alien wilderness surrounding the camp. Blue-purple lightning still danced in the clouds, illuminating the undulating terrain in the distance. Three days of exploration and cultivation had instilled in him an inexplicable sense of closeness to this unique planet, especially after directly communicating with its consciousness.

“I have some concerns,” Rowan said in a low voice. “Once the Empire learns of this planet’s unique nature, will they send more people to study or even develop it? That could break our commitment to planetary consciousness.”

Shadow fell into deep thought: "This is indeed a problem. The Empire has always had a strong desire to explore special resources and phenomena, especially places like this that can help the strong break through. But we can emphasize the fragile ecological balance and potential dangers of this planet in the report, and recommend minimal intervention."

“Furthermore,” Hong added, “the planetary consciousness itself possesses considerable defensive capabilities. If it feels threatened, it may take some measures to protect itself. I’ve found in the records of ancient civilizations that scientists at that time also overexploited resources, resulting in a strong reaction from the planetary consciousness and causing widespread geological disasters.”

Thor stood up, stretching his limbs. "Regardless, we need to make sure we get out of here safely first. Astor could find us at any moment; we need the Empire's support."

After reaching a consensus, the four split up and began their work. Shadow was in charge of preparing communication equipment and adjusting various parameters to ensure that the signal could penetrate complex spatial interference; Hong organized the data and samples they had collected at three special locations and prepared a detailed report; Thor was responsible for strengthening the camp's defense system in case Astor discovered them before reinforcements arrived; Rowan set up a series of energy sensors around the camp to detect any approaching high-energy creatures or aircraft in a timely manner.

In the afternoon, the sky suddenly turned unusually dark. Huge thunderclouds gathered above the camp, and the frequency and intensity of lightning increased significantly. At first, they thought it was just a common weather change on the planet, but Rowan quickly sensed that something was wrong.

“This isn’t an ordinary thunderstorm,” Rowan frowned, watching the sky gradually turn deep purple. “The planetary consciousness is trying to warn us about something.”

Sure enough, less than a minute later, that familiar ancient voice echoed in Rowan's mind:
"Danger. A powerful being is approaching and searching for you."

Rowan immediately became alert: "Shadow! Flood! Thor! The planetary consciousness is issuing a warning; danger is approaching! It could very well be Aster!"

Ying immediately put down her work, her face grave: "Damn it, it's faster than I expected. The communication array will need at least three more hours to complete debugging. We must buy time."

"How long will it take to establish a simple distress signal?" Rowan asked anxiously.

Ying pondered for a moment: "If we forgo encryption and precise positioning, and just send a basic distress signal and approximate coordinates, it might be completed within half an hour. But then, anyone who receives the signal will know our location, including Aster."

“We can’t worry about that now,” Thor said firmly. “Send a simple signal. If Aster really is finding us soon, it’s more important to let the Empire know our location as quickly as possible.”

Just as the four were discussing the matter urgently, the energy sensors Rowan had set up around the camp suddenly emitted a sharp alarm. Several displays lit up with red warning signs simultaneously, and data charts showed that an extremely powerful energy object was approaching from the outer edge of the atmosphere.

“It’s too late,” Shadow said calmly, quickly grabbing his weapon. “Aster is already outside the atmosphere. Prepare for battle, try to buy some time. I’m going to send a distress signal.”

Rowan, Thor, and Hong quickly prepared for battle. After their training at the special location, all three had significantly improved their strength, especially Rowan and Thor, who had made qualitative leaps in their control of fire and lightning, respectively. However, they all knew that even the three of them combined had almost no chance against Aster, who had absorbed a portion of the Heavenly Star King's power. "We need to try to draw the battlefield away from the camp," Rowan said to Thor and Hong, "to buy Shadow time to send a signal, and at the same time protect the Heavenly Star King's core."

Thor nodded, his body already crackling with blue lightning. "I can act as bait, luring Astor to the open south. The abundant lightning there will provide me with extra energy."

“Too dangerous,” Hong shook his head. “Aster won’t be fooled by such a simple strategy. We need a more complex plan.”

Just as they were discussing, a huge vortex suddenly appeared in the sky, and the clouds were forcibly parted by some powerful force, forming a hole hundreds of meters in diameter. Through that hole, they saw a familiar yet terrifying figure—Aster was slowly descending, his entire body radiating an ominous blue light.

Astor's form was even more inhuman than when they last saw him—his body was completely transparent, with starlight flowing within it, a distorted spatial ripple swirling around his head, and his eyes had completely transformed into two glowing blue vortexes. The energy fluctuations emanating from him were so powerful that the instruments throughout the camp began to malfunction, and the air was filled with a distorted, buzzing sound.

“I’ve found you,” Astor’s voice was no longer human, but a strange mixture of sounds, as if multiple voices were speaking simultaneously. “Hand over the core, and I can give you a quick death.”

Without a word, Thor launched his attack. He raised his hands, guiding the lightning in the sky, condensing it into a thick pillar of lightning that struck Astor. The power of that pillar of lightning far exceeded that of ordinary lightning, enough to level a small mountain.

However, Astor simply raised his hand, and the terrifying bolt of lightning dispersed before it could touch him, turning into countless tiny electric currents that dissipated into the air.

"A mere trick," Astor sneered. "You think a few days of training will be enough to fight against someone close to the King-level?"

As he spoke, he casually waved his hand, and an invisible force swept across, instantly sending Thor flying dozens of meters away, crashing into a distant rock, blood spilling from his mouth.

Seeing this, Rowan immediately unleashed his newly mastered fire-based techniques. He formed hand seals, channeling pure energy from within his body to create dozens of fireballs in the air. These fireballs were unlike ordinary flames; they were composed of highly compressed energy, containing terrifying explosive power.

The fireball hurtled towards Astor like a meteor, bursting into a blinding white light the instant it reached him. The shockwave from the explosion shattered the surrounding rocks, creating a small crater.

However, when the smoke cleared, Aster remained suspended in place, showing no signs of injury. He looked at Rowan, the blue vortex in his eyes swirling even faster: "Interesting. You seem to have a new understanding of the Laws of Fire. But still too weak, too naive. Let's see what real flames look like."

Astor opened his palm, and a strange black flame formed in his hand. The flame appeared to flow like liquid, yet it radiated a chillingly high temperature. With a gentle flick, the black flame transformed into a fiery serpent, rushing towards Rowan at incredible speed.

Rowan tried to dodge, but the fire serpent seemed to have its own consciousness, tracking his movements. At the critical moment, Hong suddenly appeared in front of Rowan, holding a special energy shield in his hand—a defensive device he had found in the ruins of an ancient civilization.

The black flames crashed into the shield, creating a deafening explosion. Although the shield withstood most of the impact, Hong and Rowan were still thrown to the ground by the shockwave, and multiple cracks appeared on the shield, clearly unable to withstand a second similar attack.

“Your resistance is futile,” Aster said, slowly descending to the ground, each step causing the earth to tremble. “My current power is approaching that of a King-level Immortal. If you hadn’t taken my core, I would have already completed my transformation. Hand over the core and end this farce.”

Rowan struggled to his feet and glanced at Thor not far away—he was also struggling to get up, and although he was seriously injured, his eyes still gleamed with fighting spirit.

“Aster, you’ve been influenced by the remnants of the Celestial Star King’s consciousness, and you’re no longer yourself,” Rowan tried to say. “Look at yourself now; you’ve lost all human characteristics. If you continue like this, you’ll eventually lose yourself completely and become a puppet of the Celestial Star King’s consciousness.”

Astor stopped, tilting his head slightly, seemingly pondering Rowan's words: "Puppet? No, you're wrong. I and the Celestial Star King are merging; we will become a completely new being, possessing unprecedented power. When the fusion is complete, I will surpass all existing immortals and become the new cosmic overlord!"

“Listen to what you’re saying,” Rowan continued. “This is completely unlike the mindset of a cosmic-level powerhouse. These arrogant thoughts were implanted by the consciousness of the Celestial Star King. Do you know why the Celestial Star King fell? It was precisely because of his ambition and arrogance!”

Aster's expression suddenly turned ferocious: "Shut up! The Celestial King was assassinated by a conspiratorial attack from a higher civilization! He was supposed to rule the entire universe!"

“See,” Rowan said to Hong and Thor, “this is no longer Aster speaking, but the remnant consciousness of the Celestial King. Aster’s personality is being devoured.”

Astor roared, unleashing a burst of energy that created shockwaves. The surrounding rocks and equipment were instantly pulverized, and most of the camp's buildings were leveled. Rowan, Thor, and Hong were propelled backward dozens of meters by this powerful energy; even with their best efforts, they felt their blood surging and their meridians aching.

"Enough! I don't need your sympathy or understanding!" Aster roared. "Last chance. Hand over the core, or die!"

Just when the situation seemed hopeless, a silver light shot out from the camp, striking Aster directly. It was an energy weapon that Shadow had hastily assembled from the communication equipment; although its power was limited, it was enough to distract Aster.

"Signal sent!" Shadow shouted, while continuing to control the silver beam. "Hold on! Imperial reinforcements will arrive soon!"

Aster was struck by the beam of light; though unharmed, he was clearly enraged. He turned to Shadow, the blue vortex in his eyes swirling so rapidly it seemed to suck in one's soul: "Foolish agent, what kind of person do you think the Black Dragon Mountain Empire could send to fight me?"

(End of this chapter)