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

Chapter 424 Passive defense is never as good as proactive attack

"Sword Severing the Sky," Miyamoto's sword intent broke through the limit, and this sword seemed capable of cleaving the heavens and the earth.

The combined power of four Immortal-level experts at the King level was enough to destroy a planet. Even a powerful figure like the Shadow Lord couldn't withstand it without the protection of his domain.

"Ah!" The Shadow Lord let out a shrill scream as his massive body began to crumble. "The Lord of Darkness will not let you go; he will surely avenge me."

“Then let him try,” Elena said coldly. “We’ll find the seal location before he revives.”

With a final roar, the Shadow Lord vanished completely into the void. This powerful dark servant, which had existed for thousands of years, was finally annihilated.

But the price of victory was enormous. Rowan was too weak to stand and was being held tightly by Silvermoon. His life force had been severely depleted, and it would take him a long time to recover.

"Rowan, are you alright?" Elena asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Rowan replied weakly. "It just took some time to recover; I'll be back to normal after a rest."

"What skill did you just use?" Selena asked curiously. "I've never seen that level of application of spacetime laws before."

“It’s a forbidden skill from the Storm King’s legacy,” Rowan explained. “We don’t dare use it normally because the cost is too high.”

“Indeed, this level of skill isn’t something you can use casually,” Elena nodded in understanding, “but at the crucial moment, your sacrifice saved us all.”

Although they paid a heavy price, they successfully eliminated the formidable Shadow Lord. More importantly, they were able to search this crucial stronghold and obtain more valuable intelligence.

“Let’s search the stronghold quickly,” Miyamoto suggested. “The Shadow Lord’s dying roar might attract the attention of the other minions.”

The six immediately entered the interior of the ravaged planet. The Shadow Lord's stronghold was vast and contained a large number of confidential documents.

"Here is a detailed timeline for the Dark Lord's resurrection plan," Silvermoon discovered the important document. "At this pace, his resurrection may only have less than a hundred years left."

“A hundred years?” Elena exclaimed in shock. “Much faster than we expected.”

“There’s even worse news,” Ares said, having found a strategic map in another room. “They have bases throughout the universe, on a scale far exceeding our imagination.”

These discoveries put immense pressure on everyone. The power of the Dark Servants was greater than they had imagined, and the resurgence of the Dark Lord was closer than expected.

“But we also gained something,” Rowan said, forcing himself to examine a special document. “It records the exact coordinates of the location where the Dark Lord was sealed, as well as the weak points in the seal.”

“Great!” Elena exclaimed excitedly. “With this information, we can develop a more targeted plan to stop it.”

Although Rowan paid a heavy price for this victory, the intelligence he gained was invaluable. Now they not only know the enemy's entire plan, but also have detailed information about the seal of the Dark Lord.

“The most important thing now is to formulate a counterattack plan as soon as possible,” Elena concluded. “Time is running out; we must act before the Dark Lord is fully resurrected.”

"Agreed," the others responded in unison.

After defeating the Shadow Lord, Rowan was extremely weak. Although he managed to participate in the search of the stronghold, Elena quickly discovered his true condition.

“Rowan, your life force fluctuations are very unstable,” Elena said worriedly. “That forbidden skill just now has caused serious damage to your body.”

"I feel alright," Rowan tried to hide his weakness, but the fatigue in his voice was unmistakable. "I'll recover after some rest."

“No, this isn’t just simple fatigue,” Ice Queen Selena carefully observed Rowan’s condition. “Your life force has been damaged, and if not treated promptly, it may leave permanent aftereffects.”

Silver Moon also noticed Rowan's unusual appearance. Half of his hair had turned white, his skin had lost its former luster, and his eyes revealed a deep weariness. This aging was not superficial, but rather a result of the depletion of his very life force.

“I’ll arrange for the best medical facilities immediately,” Elena made a decisive decision. “We’ll return to headquarters now, where the most advanced life-restoring technology in the universe is located.”

"But what about the other outposts?" Rowan was still thinking about the mission.

“The other strongholds can wait,” Elena interrupted him. “You’re in no condition to continue fighting. Besides, according to our intelligence, we have a hundred years. There’s no need to rush.”

“Elena is right,” Sword Saint Miyamoto agreed, “A hero’s life is more important than a mission. You have made a great contribution to cosmic peace; now it’s time for you to rest.”

With everyone's insistence, Rowan finally agreed to return to the Virtual Universe Corporation headquarters for treatment. Elena personally piloted the fastest interstellar spaceship, arriving at the headquarters in just six hours.

The headquarters of Virtual Universe Corporation is located on a giant artificial planet, a hub of the universe's most advanced technology and top talent. When Elena's private jet landed in the medical area, a top-level medical team was already waiting.

“These are the company’s best life science experts,” Elena introduced the medical team that greeted them to Rowan. “They have extensive experience in restoring the very essence of life.”

The leader was a woman who looked very young but had a profound demeanor. She was the chief expert of the company's medical department and possessed immortal-level strength and tens of thousands of years of medical experience.

“Let me examine his condition,” the chief expert began a detailed examination as soon as he saw Rowan. “It’s indeed very serious. At least 30% of his life essence has been consumed, equivalent to losing hundreds of years of lifespan.”

"Can it fully recover?" Silvermoon asked worriedly.

“Yes, but it will require time and the best medication,” the chief expert offered a professional assessment. “I recommend using ‘Fountain of Life’ for treatment, which is the company’s most prized restorative medicine.”

The Fountain of Life is one of the Virtual Universe Corporation's most prized possessions, each drop priceless. It can directly repair damage to the very essence of life, but its production is extremely rare, and it is usually only available to those who have made significant contributions to the company.

“No problem, arrange the best treatment immediately,” Elena approved without hesitation. “Rowan’s contribution deserves the company’s best reward.”

Soon, Rowan was placed in the most luxurious medical suite at headquarters. This suite not only boasted state-of-the-art medical equipment but also a dedicated recovery environment designed to maximize the restoration of his life force. "This treatment will last for three months," the chief expert explained the treatment plan to Rowan. "During this time, you will need complete rest and cannot use any skills that deplete your life force."

"Three months?" Rowan asked uneasily. "Won't that delay our operation against the Dark Servants?"

“No,” Silvermoon reassured him, “the company has already begun organizing a larger-scale operation, and the intelligence we’ve gathered is being fully analyzed. Besides, in your current state, even if you participated, you wouldn’t be of any help.”

The day after Rowan began treatment, he received two unexpected visitors.

"Rowan! We heard you were injured, so we rushed over immediately." A familiar voice came from outside the door.

The door was pushed open, and two figures walked in. Upon seeing the newcomers, Rowan's face broke into a long-lost smile.

"Thor? Hong? What brings you here?" Rowan looked at his two old friends with surprise.

"You little brat, you've made such a big commotion, the whole universe is talking about your feat," Thor plopped down on the edge of the hospital bed, "Defeating the Shadow Lord, something even a King-level Immortal couldn't do, and you actually did it."

“But the price is also high,” Hong said, more concerned about Rowan’s physical condition. “I heard you’ve used up a lot of your life force; you do look very weak.”

"It's alright, the doctor said I'll fully recover," Rowan said, delighted to see his old friends. "As for you all, I hear you've all been doing quite well in your respective fields lately."

"Hey, compared to your feats, ours are nothing," Thor waved his hand. "Now the whole universe knows that an Earthling defeated a high-ranking officer of the Dark Servants, bringing glory to us Earthlings."

Indeed, news of Rowan's defeat of the Shadow Lord had already spread among the various factions. For a martial artist from a remote planet to play such a crucial role in a cosmic crisis was legendary in itself.

"By the way, just how serious is the threat from the Lord of Darkness this time?" Hong inquired. "Virtual Universe Company has mobilized almost all of its elite forces, even the CEO himself has come."

“It’s very serious,” Rowan’s expression turned grave. “If we can’t stop the Lord of Darkness’s resurgence, the entire universe will be plunged into catastrophe.”

He gave his two old friends a detailed account of the threat posed by the Lord of Darkness and the progress of their investigation. Thor and Hong were deeply shocked after listening.

“I never imagined such a tremendous threat lurked in the universe,” Hong exclaimed, “and that we Earthlings actually played a crucial role in it.”

"This shows that the potential of us Earthlings is indeed not to be underestimated," Thor said proudly. "Although we started from a relatively low point, we have great potential."

Indeed, although Earth is a remote planet, it produces a high quality of genius martial artists. Rowan, Thor, and Hong have all achieved remarkable success in their respective fields, a rare phenomenon even in the universe.

“By the way, I heard Silvermoon was also involved in this operation,” Thor asked curiously. “How is she now?”

Silver Moon is an elite member of the Virtual Universe Company. Although she is not from Earth, she works well with Rowan and has a good reputation among Earthlings.

“She’s in charge of coordinating the follow-up operations now,” Rowan replied. “She’s probably very busy, otherwise she would definitely have come to see me.”

“That workaholic is definitely dealing with all sorts of complicated matters,” Thor knew Silvermoon’s personality. “But she cares about you a lot; I specifically told her to take good care of you when I came.”

Over the next few days, Thor and Hong frequently visited Rowan. They would bring him news from the outside world and chat with him, helping him through the tedious treatment period.

“You know, martial artists on Earth now look up to you,” Hong told Rowan, sharing an interesting piece of news. “Many young people say they want to be like Brother Rowan and make a name for themselves in the universe.”

"Haha, I wouldn't dare to be any role model," Rowan said modestly. "I was just lucky to have encountered this event."

“Luck is also a part of strength,” Thor said earnestly, “and not everyone has the courage to sacrifice their life force to fight in crucial moments.”

“Yes, I heard that the forbidden skill you used was incredibly powerful, even CEO Elena praised it highly,” Hong added. “The legacy of the Storm King is indeed extraordinary.”

"Inheritance is external; what matters is the user's will," Rowan concluded. "Without the determination to protect universal peace, even the strongest inheritance cannot unleash its true power."

With his friends by his side, Rowan felt much more relaxed. Although his body was still recovering, his mental state had improved considerably.

A week later, Yin Yue finally found time to visit Rowan. She did look very busy, and her eyes showed fatigue, but when she saw that Rowan's condition had improved, a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"The doctor said your recovery is going very well," Yin Yue said, sitting by the bedside. "Your vitality is slowly returning, and you should be fully recovered in another two months."

"Thank you for your hard work," Rowan said, knowing that Silver Moon had been keeping a close eye on his treatment progress. "How's the situation outside?"

“The company has organized a special task force to eliminate the remaining Dark Servant strongholds,” Silvermoon reported on the latest developments. “With the intelligence we’ve gathered, the operation is progressing smoothly.”

"That's good," Rowan breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried that my injury would delay the overall plan."

“You’ve done enough,” Silvermoon said earnestly. “Now it’s time to rest and prepare for the final battle.”

"The final battle?" Rowan keenly grasped this key phrase.

“Yes, the company's top management has decided that after clearing all the outposts, we will head directly to the location where the Dark Lord is sealed,” Silvermoon explained. “Although there is still time before the revival, we cannot wait until the last moment to act.”

“This decision is wise,” Rowan agreed. “A proactive attack is always better than a passive defense.”

As the treatment progressed, Rowan's condition gradually improved. His hair, which had turned white, began to turn black again, and his skin regained its luster. More importantly, his life force fluctuations began to stabilize, indicating that the treatment was highly effective.

"The effects of the Fountain of Life are truly astonishing," the chief expert said with satisfaction after the examination. "Your life essence is rapidly being repaired, and your lost lifespan is gradually being restored."

(End of this chapter)