What? You opened a resort on the battlefield of all races?

This kid is trying to rebel right in front of me!

Xu Tianlin almost laughed out of anger when he saw Huo Qi standing in the center of the hall.

Refining the World Anchor Point?

To become the new ruler of this planet?

Oh, so this place is called Dark Abyss Star.

Before I even know my own name properly, someone is already eyeing the position of the Star Lord on my behalf.

He glanced around again.

They didn't play Liang Jingru's hit songs in the temple.

Who gave you the courage?

Eating from their own supplies and soaking in their own springs, their injuries had barely healed when they began to think about how to acquire their own planet.

This scheme is so clever, it could be heard even across the stars.

but……

Xu Tianlin's eyes darted around.

This is a good opportunity to enhance one's public image.

Don't rush.

He swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue, preparing to observe the reactions of the other monsters.

The silence that followed Hodge's words did not last long.

A suppressed sob suddenly rang out from the crowd.

A wrinkled monster raised his hand to cover his eyes, his shoulders trembling slightly. Dried blood clung to his fingers, and tears soaked his skin, leaving dark red streaks on the back of his hand.

"The Demon Emperor... has he truly perished?"

His voice was terribly hoarse.

"We've waited all these years, and he won't even turn around and look at us?"

Someone nearby opened their mouth, wanting to offer some advice, but in the end, all that remained was a sigh.

"Who said the Demon Emperor has fallen!"

The heavy axe handle slammed to the ground.

The monster that had been leaning on the heavy axe raised its head, its eyes turning red, and stared intently at Hodge.

"We've both witnessed the Demon Emperor's abilities! How could someone as invincible as him possibly die silently out there!"

"Do you have news? Or did you see it with your own eyes?"

Another demon suddenly spoke up, "What's the point of saying this now?"

He pointed to the wounded soldiers coming and going in the hall.

"Look at these people! How strong is the Demon Emperor? Can he really hold off the treants outside for us?"

"At least Hodge is here!"

"What we lack is the support of our home planet! If we continue to fight amongst ourselves like this, when will we ever be able to drive Cang Huan out?"

The axe-wielding demon suddenly turned its head.

"Then you can seize the Demon Emperor's position?"

"Someone has to take those positions! Do we have to wait until all the anchor points are lost before we start thinking about solutions?"

The speaking monster grew increasingly impatient, raising its arm only to bring it down heavily.

The two voices grew louder and louder.

Some agreed, some criticized, and others repeatedly pressed for the Demon Emperor's whereabouts, hoping to get a definite answer from Hodge.

What was once a fairly spacious area quickly became crowded and tense.

In the heat of the argument, a demon pointed to the cracks in his armor and asked if all the blood he had shed over the years had been for nothing.

Someone immediately stepped in to defend them, because they couldn't let the remaining people continue to wait in vain, especially since so much blood had been lost.

Both were simply trying to survive, but when the words were on their lips, neither would listen to the other's.

Shuoyang gripped his halberd tightly, trying to interject several times, but was drowned out by the arguing of others.

Hodge stood in the center, his face gradually darkening.

"Gentlemen."

No one stopped.

"Gentlemen!"

A low shout suddenly drowned out the argument that filled the hall.

Hodge raised his head, a demonic light surging deep within his pupils.

The next instant, a powerful aura erupted from his body!

The palace before the demons seemed to vanish abruptly, replaced by a dark, gloomy sky. Specks of cold light appeared in the darkness, like stars suspended overhead, yet they offered no warmth whatsoever.

Despite their feet firmly planted on the ground, the demons felt a profound sense of insignificance, as if they were facing an endless starry sky.

Vast demonic energy swirled up, vaguely transforming into a dark tide stretching across the sky.

Each surge of energy pressed down on my chest, making it feel suffocating.

The axe-wielding monster tried to speak again, but only a muffled groan escaped its throat. The arm gripping the axe handle trembled violently, and its shoulders and back slumped down little by little.

Several Eternal Realm demons nearby gritted their teeth, their demonic energy rising only to be forced back to their bodies.

Starry Sky Realm!

Previously, when Hodge mentioned it, the demons only knew that he had broken through.

Only now, when this power truly fell upon them, did they realize the vast gap that had grown between them.

The angry shouts stopped, and the arguments also ceased.

The old demon, who had been weeping with his face covered, lowered his hands, and his reddened eyes showed a hint of fear.

Hodge slowly scanned the crowd.

Some of the gazes that had just argued with him lowered, while others remained stubborn, but no one could utter a single word freely anymore.

The pent-up frustration in his chest finally subsided somewhat.

The reasoning has been explained so clearly, yet they still cling to the position of the Demon Emperor.

If we could have fought until a result was reached, how could we have ended up in this situation today?

Looking at the now quiet demons before him, Hodge became even more convinced that he had to take on this responsibility.

Once the lost territory is recovered and the people have a place to settle down again, those companions who opposed him today will naturally understand his good intentions.

"You may not understand now."

Hodge said, word by word.

"But I assure you, you will understand in the future that I, Hodge, am here for the continuation of our home planet!"

The demonic energy surged, and the oppressive aura lingered for a long time.

The entire room fell silent.

Sudden.

"That sounds nice."

A voice suddenly broke the silence in the hall.

Hodge's gaze sharpened.

The demons looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xu Tianlin standing at the edge of the crowd, looking at them coldly.

"Brother Lintian, you!"

Shuoyang's heart skipped a beat, and she reached out to grab his arm.

Xu Tianlin shook off his hand and slowly walked out.

"Hodge, you just said that after becoming the new Star Lord, you're going to the Star Sea to find the Demon Emperor?"

Hodge frowned.

"nature."

"Then let me ask you, what are you going to say after you find him?"

Xu Tianlin didn't stop walking; his gaze was fixed on his face.

"Tell him that you'll take care of his people and, while you're at it, also refine his home planet?"

Hodge's face darkened.

"The situation is critical..."

"So, you want to take away his last source of power as well?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the surrounding demons changed drastically.

Xu Tianlin stopped and pointed to his feet.

"Have you all forgotten something?"

"The world's anchor point is connected to the origin of the mother planet."

"If Hodge refines all the anchors and becomes the new star lord of Dark Abyss, what will happen to the connection between the Demon Emperor and the mother planet?"

No one answered.

The demon leaning on its heavy axe suddenly raised its head.

Xu Tianlin looked at Huo Qi and asked, word by word:

"This primordial power is yours, Demon Emperor. What's left?"

Hodge's lips moved slightly.

Xu Tianlin did not give him a chance to change the subject.

"You said he might be trapped."

"Okay, then we'll do it your way."

"Imagine he is somewhere in the starry sea right now, fighting a powerful enemy, struggling to hold on with the last remaining strength of his home planet, waiting to escape."

"You are here, refining all the world's anchor points."

"Your position as the Star Lord is secured."

"Where is he?"

The last two words were asked very softly.

The hall suddenly seemed to grow cold.

The monster who had just supported Hodge froze in mid-air with its hand halfway raised.

Xu Tianlin took a step forward.

"If he's seriously injured and relying on this little bit of strength to stay alive, how long can he hold on if you take it away?"

"If he has already found his way back and is about to break through the obstacles, and you cut off his strength from behind, can he still return?"

"You said you were going to find him."

"But the moment you become the Star Lord, you might just cut off his path to survival with your own hands!"

Hodge's grip on the knife hilt tightened abruptly.

"I had no intention of harming the Demon Emperor!"

"But what will be the outcome of what you're about to do?"

Xu Tianlin stared at him.

"You claim to have no intention of harming him, yet you can take away his power?"

"Hodge, if the Demon Emperor were still alive, your actions would be tantamount to killing him in the endless sea of ​​stars!"

The old monster with a wrinkled face swayed, and his companion quickly supported him.

Just now, the demons were only concerned with arguing about whether or not they should change the star lord.

But no one thought about it carefully.

What will happen to the old star lord after the new star lord is born?

Hodge tensed his jaw.

"We can't let our entire home planet be destroyed for the sake of someone whose fate is unknown..."

"So, you've already made the decision for him."

Xu Tianlin interrupted him.

"He was willing to sacrifice himself, even while he was still alive, so that you could become the Star Lord."

Hodge's eyes darkened.

You've misunderstood me!

"Then tell everyone, how can you guarantee that the Demon Emperor won't perish after the anchor point is refined?"

There was dead silence all around.

Hodge did not answer.

He can't guarantee that.

Xu Tianlin looked at him and suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"You don't even know where he is, or how he lives now."

"Yet they dared to take away his last reliance first, and then promise everyone that they would find him."

"Are you preparing to retrieve a living Demon Emperor, or a corpse that will never again contend with you for the position of Star Lord?"

Shuoyang's hand holding the halberd trembled violently.

Even the monsters who had initially agreed with Hodge began to look at him differently.

Xu Tianlin looked up, glancing at the lingering dim starlight overhead.

"And also, you keep saying it's for the sake of your people."

"Now, you're dragging these people who have guarded the Demon Emperor's home planet for years into this mess to help you cut off his path to survival."

"They have waited until today, hoping for the return of the Demon Emperor."

"And you, you've gone so far as to let them cut off this path of return themselves!"

Hodge's chest heaved, and his face was extremely pale.

Xu Tianlin stepped forward again and looked directly into his eyes.

"If you want the position of Star Lord, you can just say so."

"Don't take away his power while using the excuse of searching for him."

"And don't let those who shed blood for him think they're saving him after helping you ascend to the position of Star Lord!"

Xu Tianlin's voice suddenly turned cold.

"That sounds nice, but it's just inflated ambition!"