"Get up there already! I'll help you suppress the soul of the Golden-Horned Beast stop acting like such a coward," Rowan said sharply, covering Babata's mouth before yanking Luo Feng by the collar. With one decisive kick, he sent him stumbling toward the gigantic creature before them.
"Wait, I " Luo Feng started, but Rowan's cold stare froze him in place.
"If you hesitate again," Rowan said flatly, "I'll make the Golden-Horned Beast destroy its own soul. Then all you'll have left is a very expensive corpse."
There wasn't a hint of humor in his tone. He meant every word.
The truth was, the Golden-Horned Beast wasn't of much use to Rowan. It required massive resources to nurture an endless pit for money and time. And Rowan didn't have time to waste. He planned to find another species better suited for creating his avatars. Letting this beast go to waste was pointless, and killing it for its flesh would yield far more profit.
After all, the body of a Golden-Horned Beast could fetch an astronomical price. Even immortal-level beings would bid for it without hesitation.
Realizing that Rowan wasn't bluffing, Luo Feng finally nodded and began preparing for the soul possession ritual.
Babata, meanwhile, dropped to his knees, his metallic face scrunching up as he whimpered tearfully. "Master, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for picking such a useless successor this boy's going to be the death of me!"
Rowan didn't even glance at him. He simply turned his attention to the ritual. Under his suppression, the Golden-Horned Beast's soul trembled with a primal sense of dread. It knew what was coming but couldn't muster any resistance.
"Do it," Rowan commanded.
Golden light flared from Luo Feng's body. His spiritual energy condensed into the shape of an ethereal tower and plunged straight into the beast's mind.
The creature didn't resist. Within moments, Luo Feng's soul opened like a vast maw, swallowing the Golden-Horned Beast's consciousness whole. Rowan's spiritual mark, branded on the beast's soul earlier, remained intact ensuring that even with Luo Feng's possession, the creature couldn't turn against him.
Eventually, Luo Feng would be free of that mark, but for now, his soul was bound by Rowan's will.
After nearly two hours, the transfer was complete. Luo Feng's soul had fully taken over the Golden-Horned Beast's body. The massive creature collapsed, falling into deep slumber, while Luo Feng's human body went limp beside it an empty vessel without a soul.
Rowan sighed lightly. Luo Feng's spirit would eventually create a new physical body, but until then, Rowan made sure his original flesh was safely preserved. Using his telekinetic field, he shielded Luo Feng's body and belongings, protecting them from any damage.
Babata sat motionless on the ground, looking utterly defeated.
"Oh, come on," Rowan said with a smirk. "Don't look like someone just ran over your dog. He's not dead. I promise, I'll find a new host for you that's even better."
Babata shot him a glare. "You wouldn't recognize a treasure if it hit you in the face! Don't talk to me!"
Rowan chuckled quietly. "Suit yourself."
After a few moments, he added, "Anyway, there's something else. I found coordinates for an ancient site the Twelfth Civilization Ruins. Inside it lies a battleship from an old cosmic era. We might find something worthwhile there. You're coming with me."
His true goal was to speed up his journey into the wider universe specifically, to access Huyan Bo's account, purchase Earth legally, and register as a citizen of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
He still had over two months before the Norlan family discovered Earth. That was more than enough time to clean up any remaining "pests."
Despite Babata's sulking, Rowan didn't give him a choice. He simply grabbed him by the arm, collected Luo Feng's body and gear into his storage space, and stepped onto his flying shuttle.
They soared through the atmosphere and dove into the ocean, heading for the deep-sea coordinates of the ruins.
Rowan shot through the water like a living spear. Around him, 365 telekinetic blades spun in orbit, slicing apart every creature unfortunate enough to cross his path. Massive sea beasts some the size of buildings were torn to shreds within seconds.
By now, Earth's monsters posed no real threat to humanity. Rowan's slaughter was more a matter of habit than necessity.
At around seven thousand meters deep, the immense water pressure began to compress even planetary-level warriors. Without advanced armor, most would have been crushed. But for a stellar-level being like Rowan, this pressure was nothing.
Drilling deeper, he used his "Mountain Piercer" technique to burrow another kilometer through the seabed until his senses detected metal.
A colossal warship fifteen kilometers long lay buried beneath layers of silt and stone.
Babata's eyes lit up immediately. "Amazing! This is a warship from the Twelfth Civilization era. It's heavily damaged probably can't fly but some of the defense systems are still active. Its technology level is high. There might even be an escape shuttle still functional!"
Rowan grinned. "Now that's what I like to hear."
They approached the wreck. Rowan's spiritual force wrapped around the entire structure, probing every corridor and chamber. The ship was even larger than the base crafted from Hong's transport vessel a massive relic of forgotten wars.
Inside the docking bay, they discovered a sleek vessel moored to the side.
Babata gasped. "That's a Black Dragon Mountain X81 ship! Its value alone is two or three times higher than this entire warship!"
Rowan's smile widened. "Now we're talking."
He advanced through the corridors. Security lasers lined the walls, crisscrossing like a deadly web. But with his telekinetic blades orbiting his body, each beam dissipated harmlessly against the shimmering barrier.
In the original timeline, Luo Feng had barely survived this same passage his limited power forcing him to rely on agility and luck.
But Rowan, a stellar-level powerhouse, walked through like it was nothing.
At the inner door, Babata produced a high-powered spreader, forcing the sealed hatch open with a loud clang.
The ship's systems immediately flared to life. Red warning lights filled the corridor.
"Babata," Rowan said calmly, "hack their network."
The AI hesitated. "The walls are made of dark uranium metal. Only a stellar-level nine or cosmic-level warrior could "
Before she could finish, flames ignited along Rowan's arm. His aura condensed into a deep violet hue as the temperature skyrocketed.
The walls began to melt.
Babata's mouth dropped open. "...Never mind."
Just as the molten metal began to drip, Rowan sensed three robotic guards rushing toward them.
He turned slightly. "Three drones, planetary-class. Nothing special."
Moments later, the robots burst into the corridor only to be caught midair by Rowan's telekinesis. He crushed them effortlessly, their fragments floating like scraps of tin.
Babata floated over eagerly and linked into the now-exposed data conduit.
Rowan shook his head with a smirk. "You're way too excited for a bunch of junk, hillbilly."
Her digital face flushed red. "Hillbilly?! You're one to talk coming from some backwater planet!"
Rowan ignored her and continued forward.
With Babata's hacking complete, the warship's self-destruct system was disabled, and full control transferred to them.
Inside the control chamber, they found three silver guardians sleek, humanoid constructs made entirely of liquid metal.
Babata scanned them. "These are Silver Flow Guards, equivalent to stellar-level warriors. Their defense surpasses even the Black God Set!"
Rowan gave a faint nod. "Good. They'll fetch a decent price."
Once they finished collecting everything of value, Rowan wrapped the entire ship in his spiritual energy, preparing to haul it to the surface.
"Hold on," Babata interrupted. "Let me store it. My spatial core is much larger than your ring."
Rowan chuckled. "Right, I almost forgot you're basically a walking vault. What else you got in there?"
"Plenty of Mu Ya Crystals," she replied proudly. "If it weren't for the Magic Hand King stealing my master's relics, we'd have more treasures than you can imagine!"
Rowan nodded thoughtfully. "A pity. A full immortal's inheritance would've solved a lot of problems."
"Anyway," Babata said, brightening again, "let's get out of here. Once I repair the X81 ship, we'll finally have a way to leave this planet."
Rowan smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
The universe was waiting.