Inside the vast and solemn palace.
"A bunch of fools."
"Do you really think the noble class is above all consequences?"
The Yarlowe Star-King, clad in silver-bright battle armor, glanced at the shattered round conference table, then swept his gaze over the assembled nobles, secretly shaking his head: "You think you're the ones who make the rules, yet you don't realize there are always greater powers above. That Heaven-King Andrew Han can decide your life and death with a single word."
There are always greater powers, and higher heavens—the universe is vast beyond measure.
He did not speak aloud, merely reflecting silently.
But this description is no exaggeration. If anyone here dares to obstruct even a little, whether they die of illness or by ordinary means, it will be decided by Andrew Han alone.
After all, if you truly compare their standing—
The Cosmic Ancient Kingdom and Archaic Hall are worlds apart.
And the Yarlowe Sector where they reside is merely one of the seventeen star-sectors under the Cosmic Ancient Kingdom's domain.
"Listen carefully."
The Yarlowe Star-King slowly rose to his feet, his deep voice echoing through the entire palace: "I am giving you only three average solar days of your homeworld's rotation. If you cannot identify the true culprit among the noble houses, all three will be annihilated."
As the Yarlowe Star-King stood up,
Everyone immediately rose. These nobles, who could command storms outside, now looked terrified: "Are you really going to ignore right and wrong, implicate the innocent, and wipe out all three houses?"
...
The Yarlowe Star-King fixed his gaze on that noble.
Though words like 'right' and 'innocent' sounded righteous enough, when uttered by these nobles, they felt oddly comical and out of place. The strange dissonance made the palace atmosphere even more bizarre—even the Yarlowe Star-King's eyelids twitched two or three times.
Justice does not exist.
Only interests are eternal. These nobles, sitting here, have long been known for accepting tributes of resources and treasures from each star-clan, forming a tacit, entrenched chain of gray-market interests.
"Take your time to discuss," the Yarlowe Star-King said, turning to leave.
As long as it doesn't affect population growth or interfere with cultivation and evolution, it can't be called a true disaster or sin.
After all—
The Human Territory is vast, and there are simply too many life planets to count.
"Hmph."
The Yarlowe Star-King shook his head and turned to leave the palace.
Immediately after—
Another noble pressed further, trying to confirm, "Truly, not a single one will be spared?"
"Correct."
The Yarlowe Star-King nodded, "Andrew Han said it himself. If you don't believe it or refuse to accept it, go ask Andrew Han yourself."
Hiss! Hiss!
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the palace; everyone was rendered speechless, sensing the storm about to break.
They knew their place—none of them had the qualifications to contact Andrew Han.
"How could this happen?"
The nobles felt their limbs grow cold; all complaints vanished as they finally grasped the gravity of the situation.
Hesitation, fear, awe, worry—all sorts of tangled emotions quietly wrapped around their hearts.
It was as if everyone had gathered around a gaming table, each holding a different hand. But when the Heaven-King gave the order, he flipped the table, sweeping away all resistance—no matter how many cards they held, none could be played.
"This is bad."
Faces paled throughout the hall.
A red-haired elder clapped his hands, coughing as he spoke gravely: "We must make a choice now. Let's vote... I propose we simply abandon all three Star-Domain Clans. At most, we're talking about five or six Cosmos Union-Tier cultivators. As long as we can appease the Heaven-King's anger and avoid a personal investigation, any price is worth it. Also, closely monitor Lucy Han's movements."
Lucy Han, peak Fusion-Tier, is the biological younger sister of Andrew Han, the new-generation Ancient Heaven-King of Archaic Hall.
His cultivation was profound, his strength overwhelming, but he was never keen on wielding power, so he often turned a blind eye, remaining aloof above mundane affairs.
In truth, the Yarlowe Star-King felt little loyalty to the Cosmic Ancient Kingdom; his own life was comfortable, so why bother managing the Yarlowe Sector?
"That's right, Lucy Han is very important." Someone quickly echoed, "Wherever she goes, order all clan-controlled peripheral groups to suspend operations. It's better to lose some profit than provoke Lucy Han—it's simply not worth it."
The warning had been given.
If they continued to act foolishly and arrogantly, they would have no one to blame but themselves for their deaths.
Even if Lucy Han were just an ordinary little girl, with a Human Heaven-King behind her, who would dare provoke her?
Then—
He turned into a stream of silver light and drifted away.
Leaving behind a tense and anxious group of nobles in the palace, their faces uneasy.
Sigh.
A noble let out a vague sigh.
Their gazes met in midair, as if exchanging silent thoughts. After a long pause, none spoke.
"What should we do?"
"How should we handle this time?"
Hesitation, fear, awe, worry—all sorts of tangled emotions quietly wrapped around their hearts.
The Ancient Heaven-King!
A legendary figure who existed only in starry-sky tales!
"Ahem."
A red-haired elder clapped his hands, coughing as he spoke gravely: "We must make a choice now. Let's vote... I propose we simply abandon all three Star-Domain Clans. At most, we're talking about five or six Cosmos Union-Tier cultivators. As long as we can appease the Heaven-King's anger and avoid a personal investigation, any price is worth it. Also, closely monitor Han Qian's movements."
Han Qian, peak Fusion-Tier, is the biological younger sister of Andrew Han, the new-generation Ancient Heaven-King of Archaic Hall.
In fact, they had only just received this news themselves.
The location transfer of blue Earth was classified; everyone present had clearance to read it, but never had time, since new classified files appeared every minute in the Yarlowe Sector—usually handled by Intelligent Cores.
"That's right, Han Qian is very important." Someone quickly echoed, "Wherever she goes, order all clan-controlled peripheral groups to suspend operations. It's better to lose some profit than provoke Han Qian—it's simply not worth it."
This view was unanimously approved by the assembly.
They cared nothing for face; profit came first, everything else could be set aside.
Even if Han Qian were just an ordinary little girl, with a Human Heaven-King behind her, who would dare provoke her?
"We definitely can't afford to offend her."
"But we can always avoid her, can't we?" The red-haired elder squinted, "Retreating and conceding is fine; taxes, tribute, and planetary trade are the real interests—we must keep our priorities straight."
As she spoke, Lucy Han lifted her round, clear face and gazed into the dark void beyond the barren planet. "The starry sky is truly vast."
In more than ten years of wandering, she had visited only forty-some life planets.
In the blink of an eye, the hall was empty.
The now-empty palace felt all the more solemn and dignified—a true symbol of nobility.
——
Gazing up at the star-filled sky, Lucy Han felt her own smallness—just a speck of dust in the vast universe.
As everyone knows, from largest to smallest, from vast to minute—the order is territory, sector, stellar system, planetary system.
Two twin girls, delicate as carved jade, looked at Lucy Han. "Sister, when you add a life planet and its star together, that's a small star system. Then comes the big stellar system, and after that, the Yarlowe Sector, right?"
Otherwise...
"That's one way to look at it." Lucy Han smiled, turning to gently pat the girls' heads.
Harnessing the terrifying power of an entire planetary system would be nearly equal to an ordinary Cosmos Union-Tier existence!
But that's all it would be.
No amount of quantity can compare to a qualitative leap—even if a planetary system crashed down, it couldn't kill a typical Cosmos Union-Tier being.
Planetary orbits combined with their stars form the common celestial structure: the planetary system. Not too big, not too small, but it is the basic unit—like the numerator in a fraction—the most widespread building block, forming vast stellar systems.
...
Lucy Han silently watched it all... The word 'Auntie' stung a little.
Sandstorms swept the planet's surface, shrouding it in perpetual darkness; ordinary life could not survive here.
At the planet's polar region, where the storms were fewer, beside a shadowy cave, stood Han Qian—her face serious, dressed in a pink-and-white battle dress.
"Simply put—"
"My home, the Milky Way, is a stellar system, with many, many stars. But where there are only a handful of stars—one, two, or three—that's a planetary system, which is where we are now."
As she spoke, Han Qian lifted her round, clear face and gazed into the dark void beyond the barren planet. "The starry sky is truly vast."
In more than ten years of wandering, she had visited only forty-some life planets.
Each life planet corresponds to a planetary system suitable for Human survival.
And how many planetary systems are in a stellar system, and how many stellar systems in the Yarlowe Sector... Just the central region alone has thirty-nine stellar systems. Even if one spent a lifetime as a Starshine-Tier, they might not finish exploring a single stellar system, let alone the Yarlowe Sector's core.
"I'm so weak, so insignificant."
Gazing up at the star-filled sky, Han Qian felt her own smallness—just a speck of dust in the vast universe.
Beside her—
Two twin girls, delicate as carved jade, looked at Han Qian. "Sister, when you add a life planet and its star together, that's a small star system. Then comes the big stellar system, and after that, the Yarlowe Sector, right?"
"That's one way to look at it." Han Qian smiled, turning to gently pat the girls' heads.
"Yay!" One of the little girls pushed her twin aside, eyes gleaming with pride. "Did you hear? Auntie said I was right!"
The other girl, the younger twin, pouted unhappily. "Auntie said you weren't wrong."
"╭(╯^╰)╮" The older twin pounced, triumphant, climbing on top of her sister. "Hmph! If you won't accept it, struggling is useless. I'm the big sister—no matter how much you shout, I'm still the big sister!"
"I don't want to be the little sister!"
The two girls tangled together...
"(｡･ˇ_ˇ･｡:)"
Han Qian silently watched it all... The word 'Auntie' stung a little.