I chose the safe house, and the Human Alliance regretted it.

On the Eternal Night, the ruler of the First Empire took a deep breath, stepped out of the cabin, and walked towards Wang Wei through the air.

Within the fleets of the other seventeen nations, individuals also disembarked and stepped into the air—those who could stand at this level were no ordinary people; they were at least Origin Lord level combatants, and flying through the air was no problem for them.

A moment later, eighteen figures gathered in front of Wang Wei.

Zi Chen gave his king a military salute, then silently withdrew.

His task was finished; what followed was beyond his authority.

Apart from the ruler of the First Empire, the remaining seventeen people were still in shock.

They had never heard of any "shops that don't rip off the poor," nor did they know who this young man was.

But they witnessed everything that had just happened—as soon as he appeared, all the Emperor-level Star Beasts were immobilized.

They were also top figures in their respective empires, but standing in front of Wang Wei at this moment, they instinctively lowered their posture.

"Gentlemen," the First Empire's ruler began, "this is the owner of a shop that doesn't rip off the poor."

"This shop's business... unravels the secrets of the world and settles human affairs."

The seventeen men exchanged glances, then bowed even more respectfully: "Greetings, shopkeeper."

"Yes," Wang Wei nodded, his gaze sweeping over the eighteen faces. "Gentlemen, please settle the bill."

The First Empire's ruler asked in a deep voice, "How much does the shopkeeper charge?"

Wang Wei smiled upon hearing this and held up two fingers: "Our store has two options."

"Firstly—contribute the entire energy reserves of your respective empires, and I will completely resolve the Star Beast problem. One-time payment, lifetime benefits."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all seventeen people changed simultaneously.

The entire energy fluid reserve—that's tantamount to uprooting the lifeblood of an empire's war effort.

Wang Wei didn't give them much time to think, and continued, "Secondly, we charge by the day. I, the shop owner, will protect you, costing you 100 billion energy liquids per day. The protection will continue as long as the beast tide persists."

"Gentlemen, make your choice," he said, smiling at them.

"This...I have no authority to make that decision!"

"I must report to the Lord immediately!"

Representatives from sixteen empires—Changqing Empire, Hunyuan Empire, Xuantian Empire, Dayan Empire, Cangwu Empire, Yaoguang Empire, Beidou Empire, Tianxuan Empire, Yuheng Empire, and others—speaked one after another, their voices filled with obvious panic.

A hundred billion a day is no small amount, and the entire energy liquid reserve is even more daunting—no one dares to make a decision on this matter on the spot.

"I choose the first option," the representative of the Caesar Empire said directly.

The others looked over.

But the representative of Caesar's Empire remained calm and offered no explanation.

The territory of the Caesar Empire has been destroyed by the Star Beasts.

What's the point of having savings if you've lost your home?

Wang Wei nodded, then looked at the others: "Then hurry up and ask. I can't keep holding these Emperor-level Star Beasts back for you forever. They're just immobilized, not dead. I'll let go, and they'll continue shooting."

He paused, then added, "You have three minutes left."

Upon hearing this, those people's expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly took out their communication devices to contact their respective empires.

Wang Wei then looked at the ruler of the First Empire: "Your Majesty, what is your choice?"

"Is this the price for the Kailo race too?" asked the ruler of the First Empire.

"Of course," Wang Wei said earnestly, "My prices are absolutely fair and just. No deception, young or old, this price applies even to cross-race couples."

The ruler of the First Empire remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his voice very soft: "I choose the first option."

He had no other choice.

A hundred billion a day is a sum that even the First Empire could not afford in the long run.

The war on the front lines has already depleted the Empire's energy reserves for more than half a year. If payment is made on a daily basis, the supply will only last for a few months before it is cut off.

If he can't make the payments, Wang Wei will back down, and the empire will still face destruction.

It's better to cut it in one stroke than to use a dull knife to cut it.

"You are also human—" someone couldn't help but speak, their voice filled with a certain expectation, "The Star Beasts threaten our entire human race, you…"

"I'm a businessman," Wang Wei interrupted him. "You can try explaining these principles to Emperor-level star beasts. See if they'll listen."

The man opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

For a moment, more than a dozen people fell silent.

Only the urgent discussions of high-ranking officials from various countries could be heard over the communicator.

Wang Wei waited for a moment.

When the time was up, he looked up, smiled, and said, "Since I can't make a choice—then let it be."

As he finished speaking, the claws of those frozen Emperor-level Star Beasts pressed down an inch at the same time.

"this!"

"We choose the first option!"

"Yes! Option one! All energy liquid!"

Seventeen people spoke up one after another, their voices overlapping, all of their previous restraint and hesitation gone.

"Okay." Wang Wei nodded in satisfaction, then turned around to face the tens of thousands of Emperor-level Star Beasts and the endless beast tide in front of him.

The sword of calamity reappeared in his hand.

An extremely faint humming sound emanated from the blade.

A sword light spanning billions of miles burst forth from the edge of the Calamity Sword, its golden radiance filling the entire starry sky.

Then, he swung his sword down.

The giant claws hanging in mid-air, the open mouths, and the pent-up energy surges were all gone.

A barrage of sounds rang in Wang Wei's ears:

"Slay a Tier 1 Star Beast and gain 1 trillion safety points."

"Slayed an Emperor-level alien beast, gaining 1 planetary unit safe point."

"Slay a Tier 1 Star Beast and gain 1 trillion safety points."

"Slayed an Emperor-level alien beast, gaining 1 planetary unit safe point."

"Kill..."

The following prompts were too fast to read.

An unforgettable scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.

The sword light disappeared, and the battlefield was empty.

Tens of thousands of Emperor-level Star Beasts and hundreds of millions of low-level beast tides all vanished into nothingness.

The starry sky has never been so clean, so clean it's unsettling.

Wang Wei turned around and looked at the eighteen people who were dumbfounded.

He spoke calmly, "Over the next few days, I will be going to each of your empires to collect debts. Prepare your energy liquid."

"Yes...yes..."

"Yes, shop owner."

The dozen or so people nodded repeatedly, not daring to have any other thoughts.

Wang Wei turned around to leave.

But just as he was about to take a step, he stopped.

He sensed something.

In the very center of the battlefield, there was an extremely faint but unusually clear aura.

Wang Wei turned his head to look.

Under the starry sky, a wisp of dark red energy appeared at the very center of the battlefield, thinner than a hair, hovering motionless in the void.

An aura of desolation emanated from that wisp of dark red energy.

Wherever that aura reached, the starry sky gradually lost its texture—not "turned black," but carried an unsettling emptiness, as if that area had never existed.

"What is that?!" the First Empire's ruler exclaimed in shock.

The others also looked over, and everyone's expression froze at the same moment.

Although they couldn't accurately sense the level of that aura, their instincts told them: danger, extreme danger, ten thousand times more dangerous than an Emperor-level Star Beast.

Wang Wei's gaze darkened.

Without hesitation, the sword reappeared in his hand, and he swung it down.

The golden sword light accurately struck the wisp of dark red energy, splitting it in two.

However, after the airflow is cut off, the two sections reconnect and return to their original state.

Seemingly sensing provocation, it moved.

It charged straight at Wang Wei with that aura of nothingness and annihilation.

It wasn't fast, but it left a white "scar" in the starry sky wherever it passed.

The remaining eighteen people instinctively fled in panic, some staggering back hundreds of kilometers.

Wang Wei was the only one left under the starry sky.

Wang Wei frowned slightly as he watched the dark red aura rushing towards him.

He stretched out his left hand, fingers spread, and met the attack without flinching.

The wisp of dark red energy struck his palm—instantly, a very fine red mark appeared on the surface of Wang Wei's palm.

In the distance, the ruler of the First Empire stared wide-eyed at this scene.

Although he retreated to a safe distance, his senses continued to track that wisp of air.

He knew very well how terrifying that aura of annihilation was—even from this distance, he could feel the energy within him trembling in fear, instinctively retreating backward.

If that thing touches him even a little, he will instantly turn into nothingness.

"Interesting," Wang Wei muttered, clenching his fist.

He gripped that wisp of dark red energy in his palm, as if he had caught a live snake.

The airflow struggled violently in his hand, and the dark red luster flickered wildly, but each flicker was fading and weakening, as if it was being continuously "rubbed away" by his palm.

A moment later, the dark red aura completely extinguished, vanishing entirely from his palm without leaving a trace.

Wang Wei opened his palm and looked at it. His palm was clean, and the dark red aura had completely disappeared.

He remained silent for a moment, his expression darkening.

"Shopkeeper, what is that?" The First Empire's ruler floated back to his original position, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Wang Wei looked up at him, then glanced at the representatives of the seventeen countries, and spoke:

"A wisp of something emanating from it."

What?!

Eighteen people simultaneously lost their voices.

A faint breath.

Even a mere wisp of breath can obliterate the starry sky.

What kind of existence lies behind that wisp of aura?