Chapter 1202 Shock

The Sovereign Race, a race accustomed to dominating the universe, had taken a massive hit this time. Several hundred golden Spaceships, in their battle against Dormammu, were annihilated without even getting a glimpse of their opponent's capabilities.

If it weren't for the fact that the Sovereign Race's golden Spaceships were all operated remotely, their losses would have been more than just a few hundred vessels. However, witnessing their controlled Spaceships being devoured by countless dark energies had a profound impact on every Sovereign Race member.

"What in the universe... is that thing?!" High Priestess Ayesha, standing at the rear of the central control room, slowly recovered from her initial daze and uttered the question.

In response to the High Priestess's inquiry, the other high-ranking Sovereign Race members beside her remained silent, their heads lowered. None of them had recognized just what this enigmatic black mist truly was!

"Send out an elite squad! We must investigate the origin of that black mist! The honor of the Sovereign Race... must not be trampled upon!" Failing to receive any useful information from her subordinates, High Priestess Ayesha, after a moment of silence, issued the command in a somber tone.

"Yes, High Priestess!"

After one of the Sovereign Race's golden teams had been annihilated by Dormammu, the Sovereign Race, who held their pride and dignity above all else, immediately mobilized numerous elite teams to head to the region where Dormammu had vanished.

Compared to the absolute suppression they had experienced at the hands of Dormammu earlier, the Sovereign Race's sense of pride prevented them from simply conceding defeat. Moreover, they couldn't ascertain whether the black mist was an accidental presence or if it had a specific intent towards the Sovereign Race.

So, the Sovereign Race, originally en route to the Nine Realms in pursuit of Star-Lord, found themselves unexpectedly engaged in a battle with Dormammu. This skirmish had left the Sovereign Race and Dormammu at odds, causing them to temporarily abandon the pursuit of Star-Lord's troubles.

In Dormammu's decisive victory over a whole squadron of golden Spaceships, he had, in essence, slapped the Sovereign Race in the face. Thus, it seemed that Star-Lord's group had inadvertently become one less problem for them.

And as Dormammu had extinguished the Sovereign Race's golden Spaceships upon emerging from the Nine Realms, Yondu's group, which had skillfully evaded Dormammu, had already reached the spatial jump point into the Nine Realms.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Without any hesitation, Yondu was already at the helm of his enormous Spaceship, charging into the spatial jump point. Behind him, several other Spaceships rapidly followed suit. Amidst the extreme spatial distortion, Yondu's team entered the Nine Realms.

Since the formation of the Nine Realms, this period might be the liveliest it had ever been. The Nine Realms were relatively isolated from the central civilizations of the universe, and few cosmic beings had ventured here in the past. However, recently, the Nine Realms had become a bustling hub of activity.

Apart from the peace within the Nine Realms being disrupted by the reappearance of the Space Stone and the Reality Stone (Aether particles), the conflict between Asgard and the Dark Elves had also marked the beginning of the Nine Realms' re-engagement with the core of the universe. 

After all, it was the Dark Elf leader who had initially shattered this tranquility by commandeering a Spaceship and escaping the Nine Realms.

Certainly, the newfound excitement in the Nine Realms seemed to bring forth numerous crises. 

However, crises were often the catalysts for rapid growth. If the previous peace in the Nine Realms had allowed the various civilizations to recover and recuperate in tranquility, the current lively state of the Nine Realms was pushing these civilizations into a phase of rapid development.

Take Earth, for example; the recent developments in technology and various special abilities were progressing at a significantly accelerated rate compared to the past. Perhaps Lin Rui played a role in this, but it was undoubtedly part of the overarching narrative.

Now, with various extraterrestrial civilizations entering the Nine Realms and making contact with Earth's civilization, there was no doubt that Earth's journey into the Interstellar Age was accelerating. 

Especially with the alliance of Lin Rui and Rogers, who had already managed to produce fully functional Spaceships, this progress was bound to be expedited even further.

However, even if Earth's journey into the Interstellar Age was advancing at a rapid pace, it still required time. At this moment, while Yondu was leading his crew towards Earth, Star-Lord was leisurely wandering in his hometown, accompanied by Ego.

...

After Star-Lord had finished his conversation with Ego, the Spaceship landed at the destination Star-Lord had intended to visit— a ranch on the outskirts of a small town in Colorado. 

The first seven years of Star-Lord's life had been spent in this very place. Before his mother had fallen ill, life had been relatively good, despite the absence of a father figure. However, upon Star-Lord's return to Earth after more than twenty years, everything had changed.

Although the ranch still stood, it was clear that it had not been well-maintained. Crops grew haphazardly across the vast expanse of land, and there were no well-kept structures nearby, only a couple of warehouses that appeared quite aged.

Ego's pristine white Spaceship landed in the middle of the two warehouses, conveniently concealed from view by the structures. If anyone were to pass by, they would not immediately notice the presence of another Spaceship. Of course, Ego could make the Spaceship invisible or have it depart, but it seemed unnecessary.

Once the Spaceship had landed, Star-Lord emerged and stood on the land where he had once lived. He looked out over the expansive ranch, and his eyes occasionally flickered with a sense of nostalgia. 

He took a few deep breaths as if trying to recall the taste of the life he had once known. However, in the end, Star-Lord simply shook his head silently.

Ego, standing beside Star-Lord, seemed to sense the shift in Star-Lord's emotions. He reached out and patted Star-Lord's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Seeing the actions of Star-Lord and Ego, Gamora and Mantis, who were behind them, had varied expressions.

"Hey! Who are you people? This is private property!" Just as Star-Lord stood there, reminiscing about his past memories, a voice suddenly came from behind them, approaching rapidly.

"Let's go and see your mother." Ignoring the approaching middle-aged man, Star-Lord turned to Ego.

With a nod and no apparent movement from Ego, the four individuals standing in place vanished in a flash of white light, taking the Spaceship parked behind them with them.

"What the heck!" The four individuals disappeared in an instant, startling the farmworker who had approached with a shovel.

...