The soft yet resolute voice echoed in his ears, and Yi Xiao felt like he had never heard a voice as pleasant as the one he heard today. It was so melodious that he almost forgot how much he loathed and resented this world, so harmonious that he truly believed, in the end, they would triumph.
So, he gently nodded. “Yes, we will win.”
Ren Zhu smiled. “Do you want to tell me about your family situation? And Why did your mother and father pass away? And what did the Federation make you do, so I can determine how many are firmly on the opposite side?”
Yi Xiao pondered for a moment before speaking, “Actually, it’s a rather straightforward matter. It’s just that our ancestors from the Yi family didn’t anticipate the current outcome.”
“Before the establishment of the Federation, the ten major races in the universe were not willing to yield to each other. Their technological advancements and other power developments were relatively balanced. Even if there were a couple of powerful races, other races formed alliances for self-preservation. Thus, the universe enjoyed peace for a long time. However, whether it was humans or other intelligent beings, the genes of greed and monopoly seemed to be ingrained in them. For whatever reason, around eight hundred years ago, the ten races initiated a massive war that engulfed the entire universe.”
“The war was extremely brutal. Even the Asto race, adept at crafting and fleets but with extremely low fertility, faced near-extinction. All races were consumed by rage, willing to turn anything they laid eyes on into lifeless objects. This period of time was later termed the ‘Nightmare War Period’ by the Federation. The war lasted for over a hundred years, with no end in sight. It was during this time that my great-great-great-grandfather, Yi Hai Zhi, suddenly discovered a region in space-time where the flow was highly unstable. He noticed that any starships, celestial bodies, or other matter passing through that region were rapidly drawn into it, just like iron filings attracted to a powerful magnet, then devoured by the seemingly ordinary area.”
“He found this place quite strange, so he stationed there for a long time, sharing his findings with the Earth Federation at that time. Unfortunately, the Earth Federation did not pay much attention to his discovery. After all, as an explorer, he hadn’t found any resource-rich planets or discovered rare energy ores. It was just a peculiar area, which were quite common in the vast universe.”
Yi Xiao’s face displayed a certain mocking expression, and Ren Zhu could almost imagine his thoughts — Didn’t I tell you so? You foolishly ignored my great-great-great-grandfather’s words!
“After my great-great-great-grandfather persisted in studying this region for the third year, a major change occurred.” Yi Xiao’s expression grew solemn, “That region started collapsing, and an unfathomable abyss appeared.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“My ancestor, Yi Hai Zhi, believed that the formation of the black hole was due to a qualitative change brought about by a quantitative change. However, within his knowledge system, there was no record of such a silent, spontaneously formed black hole. Then he observed an explorer ship of a similar model to the one he was piloting enter the black hole. Even though my ancestor repeatedly reminded and advised the reckless pilot to be cautious, that fool still entered the black hole.”
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“Later, he pressed a batch of war slaves into the black hole again. When they emerged, this person commanded a wicked legion that was ruthless and fearless. He initiated attacks against all the races in the universe.”
Ren Zhu’s heart skipped a beat. “The way you describe it, it almost feels like that black hole is some sort of demonic abyss spawning from a fantasy novel. Those people who entered the black hole seemed to change completely, almost becoming thoroughly corrupted, as if they were consumed by a sinister force.”
Yi Xiao gave him a glance and calmly replied, “They couldn’t control the darkest and most primal aspects within themselves, or perhaps they were ensnared into becoming fanatical murderers or evil individuals—wouldn’t that be akin to becoming corrupted? The first adventurer to enter the black hole was named ‘Constantine.’ Before he entered the black hole, he was a cheerful and honest person, albeit with a somewhat fiery temper. However, after emerging from the black hole, he became synonymous with malevolence and slaughter. For fifty whole years, he virtually controlled the entire universe.”
The ten major races in the universe, along with the remaining races, finally realized the horrific mistake they had made. Confronted with this madman and murderer who disregarded friend or foe, and whose sole aim was to dominate the entire universe, they cast aside their hatred and united their efforts to combat Constantine, this universal enemy.
The collective strength of unity is frightening indeed. With all races working together, technological advancements, weaponry, and the use of psychic powers all experienced breakthroughs and flourished. In just three years, the Earth Federation, later to become the Universe Federation, eradicated Constantine’s gang of wrongdoers. This included Constantine himself, who had been the first to enter the black hole.
Everyone believed they had achieved ultimate victory, but my great-great-great-grandfather was not so optimistic. He gazed at the increasingly expanding black void, feeling it was like an evil eye watching over everyone. As long as that eye remained, the species within the Federation it gazed upon would never find peace.
“My great-great-great-grandfather shared his concerns with the upper echelons of the Universe Federation. This time, they didn’t completely ignore him. However, the joy of victory seemed to have clouded their judgment. The people of the Federation claimed they would take precautions and prevent others from approaching this massive black hole. But deep down, they didn’t attach much importance to this matter. They didn’t inform the entire Federation of the terrifying nature of this black hole. So, half a year later, a small group of curious military academy students accidentally entered the black hole. When they came out, it was just a small team of students who slaughtered three-quarters of the guards stationed at the black hole.”
“The Federation once again entered a state of maximum alert.” Yi Xiao scoffed, “In the diary of my great-great-great-grandfather, which I saw when I was young, he mentioned that if not for this high alert, the races of the Federation would have engaged in war again due to various imbalances in benefits and a lack of compromise. From this perspective, the Abyss Black Hole was quite effective in restraining the development of conflicts among the universe’s races.”
Ren Zhu’s mouth twitched; he really wanted to say that according to what he heard, Yi Xiao’s great-great-great-grandfather seemed to be a lively and sarcastic individual. “And then?”
“Then the Federation went into high alert once more. Countless experts and capable espers began researching the Abyss Black Hole intensely—researching why people would come out as if fundamentally changed, and what kind of world existed on the other side of the black hole. What sort of scenery it held was something the Federation’s races collectively researched and desperately wanted to know. Consequently, various types of exploration devices were sent into the black hole. However, these devices all malfunctioned the moment they entered, losing all control. In the end, they would be completely destroyed by cosmic storms.”
“This effectively blocked the path for Federation scientists to experiment with other animals or plants. Research stagnated for a while. But how could the Federation allow such a dangerous thing to persist? Soon after, the ‘Hero Project’ was initiated. You’re quite clever; I’m sure you can guess what it entailed, right?”
Hearing Yi Xiao’s remark that didn’t sound much like a joke, Ren Zhu lowered his gaze and said, “It’s just a more euphemistic way of saying it’s a suicide mission.”
“Exactly,” Yi Xiao nodded. “It’s just the ‘Hero Project.’ The Federation selected ten individuals, the most resolute in spirit and willpower, from the ten major races. Of course, they were divided into five teams, entering in pairs. However, the outcome was devastating. Among the ten Federation heroes sent to explore the black hole, eight were directly corroded by the Abyss Black Hole. One went insane, another fell into a coma, and the last one, who remained awake and could provide some clues, was in a state of alternating madness and clarity. But even this semi-insane state was the best result.”
Yi Xiao’s voice grew somber, and Ren Zhu suddenly had an uneasy thought. Before he could ask, Yi Xiao continued, “That semi-insane person was my great-great-great-grandfather, Yi Hai Zhi.”
“Because he alternated between lucidity and malevolence, he was closely monitored by the Federation. In his moments of clarity, he provided researchers with some information about what he saw and heard inside the Abyss Black Hole. Unfortunately, what disappointed those researchers was that from my great-great-great-grandfather’s account, the other side of the Abyss Black Hole was an endless expanse of darkness, as if it stretched on forever. Within that boundless darkness, countless evil and insane thoughts grew like seedlings deeply nourished, wildly growing until they were expelled from the Abyss Black Hole or walked out on their own.”
Taking a slow, deep breath, Ren Zhu imagined the scene, and moments later, cold sweat formed on his forehead. He composed himself and said, “Your great-great-great-grandfather was truly powerful.”
Yi Xiao smiled, “Yes, indeed. But the people at the research institute weren’t satisfied with just that information. So, before my great-great-great-grandfather had fully recovered, he was sent into the Abyss Black Hole by the Federation again. Maybe it was luck? This time, my great-great-great-grandfather actually came out once more, and he brought something with him—a mass of black mist. It might have had some direct connection to the Abyss Black Hole. Then, after my grandfather handed over the black mist to the Federation, he piloted his mech and self-destructed at the entrance of the Abyss Black Hole.”
“It’s quite remarkable; after my great-great-great-grandfather’s self-destruction, that black hole seemed to react to something, instantly shrinking significantly. Over the next three years, the black hole shrank by about half. The Federation was overjoyed. It was around that time that my great-great-great-grandmother gave birth to my great-great-grandfather. He was bestowed with the honor of being the ‘Supreme Hero’ by the entire Federation, along with considerable power and unimaginable wealth.”
Yi Xiao’s face bore a hint of sarcasm, “In my great-great-great-grandfather’s diary, he wrote that the Federation’s move was merely an attempt to bind him with power, wealth, and the boundless expectations of the entire Federation. So, my great-great-grandfather married and had children early, producing five sons. He even managed to delay the expansion of the Abyss Black Hole for three hundred years and entered the Abyss Black Hole only when he was close to death. He brought out a mass of black mist before passing away. He basically died of natural causes, and at the same time, brought double the honor to the Yi family.”
“That’s the origin of our Yi family, but unfortunately, the subsequent heads of the Yi family weren’t as powerful, determined, or wise as my great-great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather. My great-grandfather died at the prime age of 180, without even bringing out the black mist, and the Abyss Black Hole expanded by one-third due to his sacrifice. Less than my great-great-grandfather. Then, my grandfather, he died at the age of 80, almost still a youth, purely for the honor of the Yi family and the safety of humanity. At that time, my father was only twenty years old, and I hadn’t even been born yet.”
“Twenty years later, when my father was forty and I was seven, he, along with my mother, entered the Abyss Black Hole and self-destructed just before coming out. His state at the time must have been on the brink of losing control and becoming an evil person. Afterward, my psychic power went berserk, and I was forced to enter the Stellar Academy. It’s been five years since then.”
Yi Xiao finished speaking and fell silent, his gaze steady.
Ren Zhu looked at Yi Xiao, took a deep breath, and after a long while, he grabbed Yi Xiao’s hand and asked somberly, “So, how much time do you think we have left?”
Yi Xiao suddenly grinned, “Who knows? I’m not sure if I’ll even live past eighteen, considering I’m a person with uncontrollable psychic power. I’m no longer the Federal prodigy with double-S ranks.”
Ren Zhu was taken aback, then he chuckled along, “I really want to know how the Federation and your uncle felt when your psychic power went berserk.”
Thanks for the update!❤
Greedy humans 😑
Thanks for the chapter
It makes you want to laugh that no matter what version it is or what era it is, among all the evils that can annihilate humanity, the biggest and strongest of them is always humanity itself. She is your biggest enemy.