Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Secluded Cultivation

With the arrival of Qin Mu and his team, the once desolate atmosphere of Cold Moon Star was now bustling with activity. Across the planet, large groups of Planetary Level 9 spirit masters, under the direction of specialized personnel, had begun construction projects.

Outside the planet, spacecraft frequently descended, delivering the metals and construction materials Qin Mu had purchased. According to the plan, Cold Moon Star was to serve as a crucial transit base, and as such, it required robust defensive measures. Without them, the planet would be vulnerable to raids by space pirates or adventurers, making development impossible. In the universe, the line between adventurers and pirates was often blurred.

Fortunately, with the inheritance from Yun Mo, Earth was not lacking in advanced weaponry and equipment. Once the necessary industrial machinery and raw materials were transported back to Earth, mass production could begin, and the weapons could be shipped to Cold Moon Star.

A spaceport was also essential. Currently, the conditions were rudimentary, and landing a 10,000-meter-long interstellar cargo ship directly on the planet was impractical. To meet these needs, Cold Moon Star had become a nest of activity. The sheer volume of orders placed had even stimulated the economies of neighboring planets.

***

Ten Days Later

All the metal materials for the Golden Horned Beast to consume had arrived, along with the samples of lifeforms.

"Everything is here," Qin Mu announced in the control room of the Black Dragon spacecraft, where he was finalizing arrangements for his departure. To ensure Cold Moon Star's safety, Qin Mu assigned a warship to remain stationed there. The warship was manned by a Star Level 8 spirit master and a Star Level 8 warrior, both transformed by the Swarm. Additionally, a guard unit of 100 Star Level 1 slaves was tasked with patrolling the planet. This level of defense was more than sufficient for Cold Moon Star's surroundings. In case of emergencies, reinforcements could be requested through the Virtual Universe.

Qin Mu, meanwhile, led the remaining three armed cargo ships and one warship into the Dark Universe, heading back to Earth.

***

Hours Later

In the vast expanse of the solar system, space rippled unnaturally as a pitch-black, disc-shaped spacecraft materialized out of nowhere. Moments later, a massive warship and three 10,000-meter-long armed cargo ships emerged from the Dark Universe.

"We're back!" someone exclaimed.

"Somehow, seeing Earth fills me with excitement."

"No matter how good things are out there, it's never home."

In the control room of the Black Dragon spacecraft, the group, having been away from Earth for over a month, felt a surge of emotion as they gazed at the familiar blue planet. It was only after leaving home that they truly understood its value.

"Let's go home!"

The black spacecraft accelerated through the endless void, swiftly approaching the azure planet.

***

Capital of United Government (Formerly Kyoto Base City)

"You've returned from space and brought back four massive spaceships? Along with 10,000 Planetary Level 9 spirit masters and Star-level experts?"

An authoritative elderly man had just received a communication from Jia Yi.

"Good, good! I'll make arrangements immediately!"

After ending the call, the man, unable to contain his excitement, quickly dialed several numbers, mobilizing the entire nation. A large military base was cleared, creating enough space to accommodate the four enormous ships.

As the military personnel withdrew, they witnessed a sight they would never forget.

In the sky, an unimaginably massive interstellar spacecraft descended through the atmosphere. A 10,000-meter-long ship—how big was that? Mount Everest, the tallest peak on Earth, stood at only 8,848.86 meters. The shadow cast by the descending ship engulfed the entire military base.

The soldiers on the ground stared in awe, a mix of fear and wonder gripping them.

"Are aliens invading Earth?" one soldier muttered, his scalp tingling and sweat dripping down his back.

"Look! There's more than one!" another shouted, pointing at the sky.

"Calm down! These are our ships!" an officer who had received prior instructions barked, silencing the growing panic.

The soldiers froze, then erupted into cheers.

"Our ships?!"

"Since when do we have this kind of technology?"

"No wonder they had us clear the area. Where else could something this massive land?"

"I knew it! The rumors about alien ruins must be true!"

"It's alien tech, definitely alien tech!"

The atmosphere shifted from fear to jubilation, though disbelief still lingered. When had Earth acquired such incredible technology?

As the four colossal ships landed one by one, Star-level and Planetary-level experts emerged, their powerful auras sending snestrs through the onlookers.

While top officials rushed to the military base, Qin Mu and his team had already left, leaving Jia Yi to handle the logistics. Compared to Jia Yi, Qin Mu, Hong, and Lei Shen were less adept at such matters. For them, improving their strength was the top priority.

Qin Mu first visited a nearby Star-level nest, where he deposited the biological materials into the nest for analysis. He then returned to his villa in Yangzhou City, located in the former Jiangnan Base City.

Despite his status, Qin Mu preferred the simplicity of his current residence. For serious cultivation or genetic research, he typically worked in the Nest or military research facilities.

Uncle Qing, having received resources from Qin Mu, had advanced to the Planetary level and now held an important position in the military, rarely returning home. However, the two children still lived in the villa. Upon learning of Qin Mu's return, Uncle Qing made time to visit, and the two shared a drink, catching up on recent events.

After a pleasant meal and a day of rest in Yangzhou, Qin Mu spent some time guiding Mu Mu and Xiao Wu in their cultivation. He also left a team of slaves to protect them before returning to the Bug Queen's nest.

With ample resources at his disposal, Qin Mu planned to focus on his cultivation and restructure the Swarm.

The most critical unit in the Swarm was the Golden Horned Beast. Although its genes had been fully analyzed, many mysteries remained. For instance, the patterns on its golden horn, body, and core contained profound power. Qin Mu's rapid comprehension of the Gold Domain was largely due to his study of these patterns. In the original timeline, Luo Feng had only grasped the domain after the Golden Horned Beast reached the Universe level.

The Golden Horned Beast's genetic structure was far superior to that of humans, embodying immense power. As a tenfold gene lifeform, it was inherently much stronger than humans.

Similarly, the analysis of the Blaze Beast, obtained from the Treasure Point, was nearing completion. While not as powerful as the Golden Horned Beast, the Blaze Beast was still a formidable creature. If the Golden Horned Beast aided Qin Mu in comprehending the Gold Law, could the Blaze Beast do the same for the Fire Law? The answer was yes. Compared to humans, Space Beasts had an innate advantage in understanding domains and laws.

In addition to these two Star Beasts, Qin Mu had invested 10 billion Black Dragon coins in purchasing the flesh and blood of other powerful creatures for analysis. The Swarm's analysis capabilities were operating at full capacity, consuming vast amounts of energy. Fortunately, the Swarm's continuous expansion provided sufficient resources to sustain this growth.

Unlike the Golden Horned Beast, which could grow by consuming metals, the Swarm's evolution required the absorption and integration of superior genetic material. There were no shortcuts. Qin Mu's role was to expand the Swarm, increasing the number of nests for analysis.

During Qin Mu's time in space, the Swarm had grown significantly, exploring beyond the solar system. Over the past month, the strongest nest had reached Star Level 3. At the current rate of analysis, reaching Star Level 6 would take about three months, while breaking through to Star Level 9 would require just over a year. While this seemed slower than the Golden Horned Beast's growth, it wasn't the case. The Swarm's expansion and improving analysis capabilities would reduce the time needed for breakthroughs.

To optimize the Swarm's development, Qin Mu streamlined its structure upon returning to Earth. Most of the hundreds of Nests on Earth were converted back into energy, as sustaining so many Star-level Nests was impractical. Only five Star-level Nests remained on Earth, with the total number of Nests across the Swarm reduced to 86, spread across planets, moons, and asteroid belts in the solar system.

The Earth's monsters had been nearly wiped out by the Swarm, with over 90% of the marine creatures eliminated. The two Emperors had been devoured by the Swarm shortly after the Golden Horned Beast's arrival. To prevent Earth from being overwhelmed, Qin Mu recycled most of the Swarm's Planetary-level and below combat units.

As a result, the Swarm's numbers had decreased. The current Swarm consisted of 100 million Planetary-level units and 8 million Star-level units, with no further production of Planetary-level units. However, the number of worker units had soared to over a trillion, tasked with collecting resources across the universe.

This restructuring marked Qin Mu's efforts to adapt the Swarm to its new environment.

Qin Mu also dedicated himself to his own cultivation. The two core techniques, "Heart of the Swarm" and "Primordial Insect Canon," were his top priorities. He had also made some progress in "Space Control," thanks to his study of the Golden Horned Beast's innate inner world. However, true mastery of spatial manipulation would take time.

With no distractions, Qin Mu immersed himself in his training. The three major techniques of the Bug race, the Golden Horned Beast's inherited methods, the human cultivation techniques from Yun Mo, the study of the two Space Beasts' bloodlines, and the research into gene evolution agents—Qin Mu had much to accomplish.

When fatigue set in, he would either engage in battles in the Virtual Universe's Killing Field or spar with Hong and Lei Shen. Through this relentless dedication, Qin Mu's strength continued to grow at an astonishing rate.