Chapter 1200 Clash of the Pursuers

In the vast expanse of the universe, far from the Nine Realms where Earth was located, several Spaceships much larger than E Grade Spaceships and the Milano were rapidly heading toward the starry region that housed the Nine Realms.

If Star-Lord were here at this moment, he would surely recognize the origin of these Spaceships. Surprisingly, these Spaceships were part of Yondu's band of space pirates. In other words, Yondu was en route to Earth.

It's unclear whether Yondu received the distress signal sent by Star-Lord and his group when they were in danger from Dormammu or if he traced Star-Lord's location after receiving some information. However, judging by the speed at which these Spaceships were traveling, it was evident that Yondu was in a hurry.

Inside the cockpit of the massive flagship leading the group of Spaceships, Yondu stared at the star map on the screen with a serious expression on his face. 

Not far ahead, there was a space jump point that would lead directly into the star region containing the Nine Realms, potentially saving them more than ten days of travel. Nevertheless, it would still take about five days to reach Earth.

"I hope that Quill ain't actin' too foolish! His real father ain't no good man!" Yondu thought to himself as he steered the Spaceship towards the space jump point at high speed.

Not long ago, Yondu, who had been searching for Star-Lord's whereabouts, received information through a special channel about Star-Lord's location. He also received another piece of critical information – Star-Lord's biological father was aware of Star-Lord's location and had already gone there.

Upon learning this, Yondu became extremely anxious. Although Yondu hadn't treated Star-Lord well from childhood to adulthood, he had still raised him within the ranks of the space pirates. In his heart, Yondu considered Star-Lord his own son.

Yondu's anxiety stemmed from the fact that he knew the true nature of Ego. Otherwise, he wouldn't have torn up the agreement and roamed the cosmos with Star-Lord back then. Due to this, Yondu was even expelled from the three major space pirate factions and bore decades of infamy.

Initially, Yondu had accepted Ego's quest to retrieve Star-Lord from Earth because of certain circumstances. However, he later discovered that Ego's motives were not purely paternal; Ego needed the seeds he had sown throughout the universe for the growth of his own planet.

Ego, himself, was a sentient planet that had existed for countless years. He belonged to a unique race, even bordering on godhood. Ever since Ego's planet gained sentience, it had continually expanded, absorbing nutrients from nearby star systems to fuel its growth.

Eventually, when there were no more resources left in the surrounding star systems and regions, Ego devised a plan. He would send out energy avatars to travel to various life-bearing planets in different star systems, leaving his seeds behind. 

These seeds, besides mating with the females of each planet to produce hybrid offspring, also contained a portion of his devouring seeds.

As long as the hybrid offspring that Ego left outside could grow and provide him with additional energy, he could activate those devouring seeds. In that case, the activated devouring seeds would instantly grow frenzied and start consuming the life-bearing planets they had been parasitizing.

If Ego's plan succeeded, he would obtain the energy of hundreds of life-bearing planets in a short period. In this way, his main planet would instantly ascend to become the most supreme and powerful life form in the universe.

However, the conditions for achieving this kind of ascension in the hierarchy of life were extremely strict. So far, despite Ego traveling the cosmos for so many years and sowing countless seeds, not a single one has provided him with substantial energy.

When Ego learned of Star-Lord's existence and confirmed that he was one of the seeds he had left on Earth, he came seeking him. After all, anyone who could withstand the energy impact of the Power Stone indicated a strong seed. Perhaps, Star-Lord could provide him with a significant source of energy.

Therefore, Ego's intent in finding Star-Lord was not for the sake of a heartwarming reunion or to live as father and son. His only interest lay in the energy within Star-Lord. After absorbing this energy, Star-Lord might end up like the other "siblings," becoming nourishment for Ego's planet's growth.

Yondu had known Ego's true nature for a long time since he had roamed the cosmos with Star-Lord for so many years. However, for Star-Lord's well-being, he had never intended to reveal this information to him. Unfortunately, the situation was now beyond Yondu's control.

"Earth... a place I swore I'd never set foot on again. But Quill, couldn't you just stay by my side obediently?!"

Swish!

Under Yondu's leadership, the space pirate crew was quickly approaching the space jump point. Despite many internal issues within Yondu's crew, they managed to eliminate quite a few of the destabilizing elements, especially after surviving the catastrophe caused by an S-class superlifeform on the alien planet they visited. 

Consequently, Yondu viewed the team's overall strength, albeit diminished, as a positive development. At least, no one would dare cause trouble while Yondu was on his way to rescue Star-Lord. Sometimes, the use of force was an effective means of control.

As Yondu's space pirate crew swiftly approached the Nine Realms, they were pursued by hundreds of small, golden Spaceships. These numerous Spaceships had a distinct golden appearance, marking them as belonging to the Sovereign, a highly advanced alien race.

Rocket had stolen a few super batteries from the Sovereign's planet after completing a quest for their kind. As a result, the haughty Sovereigns dispatched a fleet to hunt down the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Just before Yondu's crew could jump into the Nine Realms through a space jump, the hundreds of golden Spaceships pursuing them were closing in.

"The noble Sovereign race will not tolerate deception. No matter where they hide, we will hunt them down and exterminate them!" This was the command of the Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha, and it reflected the attitude of every Sovereign.

These hundreds of golden, small Spaceships possessed formidable combat capabilities. Yondu's crew wouldn't last long if they encountered them. However, just as the Sovereign fleet was about to catch up with Yondu's space pirate crew and plunge into the Nine Realms, something unusual happened in the cosmic space ahead.

Sizzling!

With intense spatial fluctuations, black mists emerged from the spatial rifts in front of the Sovereign fleet and rapidly coalesced into a large black cloud.

To be continued...