Skyfire Avenue

The moment his eyes fell upon her they filled with warmth. He walked over to the bed gently sat beside her. There he sat, quietly watching her and nothing else. His nostrils filled with her fresh sense, and his skin tingled from the waves of immortal qi issuing from her. For a minute Lan Jue felt like he could relax.

Bzz! Bzz! The communicator on his wrist hummed for his attention. When he looked down to see who it was, surprise crossed his face. He stepped outside and dialed in the number.

“You’re done?” Lan Jue asked, his surprise evident in his voice.

“Yup.” The voice on the other end was low and calm.

“When did you get out? Did you break through?” He asked.

“If only it were that easy... ninth level ninth rank.” The answering voice grew somewhat more brisk.

Lan Jue smiled. “Good, then I’ve got some competition! Let’s see who breaks through first.” The recipient of his teasing was none other than one of the Four Divine Monarchs, Hades – Chu Cheng.

“I hear you’ve created some ‘Star Division’? I’m gone for a bit and suddenly you’re a big shot!” Chu Cheng bantered.

Lan Jue laughed. “What? You got an opinion?”

“’Course not,” his friend replied. “My uncle came back, did you know that?”

Lan Jue replied. “I know, he went back with your dad.”

“He spoke a lot about you. Makes me feel like I’ve been wasting time. Sounds like I missed some good times, too. So, I decided to rejoin the world! I’m going to join the military too and kill me some aliens!”

Lan Jue laughed. “It’s rare to see you working so hard. No longer interested in a life of decadence?”

Chu Cheng sniffed. “Oh I’m never giving that up. I’m going to get all the depravity out in the next three days, then I’m joining up! His Majesty the Terminator has decided to create an Adept army of his own. You hear about this? He’s got over ten thousand Converts signed up already, and sent me an invite personally. He wants to make me a Legion commander.” That was what the North would call their divisions it seemed, and Chu Cheng would have personal command of a thousand soldiers.

The Terminator could boast those numbers since the North was capable of creating their own Adepts. The Conversion process could turn any normal person into a Talent, it was their specialty. The drawback was it became nearly impossible for Converts to breakthrough to Paragon.

Lan Jue shook his head. “Sounds like the Terminator’s well-informed! He probably heard about our success against the aliens. This is a good thing, but you all have to be careful when you face off against them. There is at least one alien stronger than father out there.”

Chu Cheng was silent for a moment. “Relax, joining was actually my grandfather’s idea. As far as Paragon is concerned I’ve got one foot in the door, a good fight might be just the inspiration I need. Being ninth level at my age without any genetic alteration means I’ve got a solid chance. Uncle has also shared a lot of what he’s learned with me. A-Jue, I’m telling you, you better work hard or I will breakthrough before you.”

Lan Jue chuckled. “Excellent! I’m excited to see which one will be better, too; Star Division or Hades’ Legion.”

“Who’s comparing?” Chu Cheng whined. “You guys over there are an aberration. I’m hearing A-Li started a ‘Poseidon Corpse.’ They’re supposed to be somethin’ else! And get this, they started with the members of Gobi Entertainment. Afterwards they opened up recruitment to only the very best mecha pilots and Adepts. They’re relatively small, but work together even better than your Star Division. They even have a damn Bastion ship, you know that?”

“I do,” he replied. “There’s a reason they’re called the richest family in history. He helped me quite a lot during the auction.”

“Well I got shit to do. Namely sit around and relax,” Chu Cheng said.

“A-Cheng!” Lan Jue suddenly interrupted.

“Eh?”

“These aliens are dangerous. Be careful, and do not underestimate them.”

“Enh!”

He hung up. A strange smile spread across Lan Jue’s face. A year ago himself, Chu Cheng and Hua Li had little more to do than relax and enjoy life. Hua Li had been the busiest one, and even he half-assed most of it. Back then none of them would have imagined they’d be military leaders today. How the tides change!

Lan Jue was preparing to return to the bed and cultivate with Qianlin when something stopped him. He froze, and slowly turned to look.

There was a purple silhouette standing by the window.

Her back was to him, but he would never forget those long purple locks, or that perfectly sculpted figure.

The hairs on the back of his neck raised, his muscled tensed. A surge of energy flooded from his Core. A flash of blue light erupted from him and immediately Lan Jue’s skin became crystalline and translucent.

He utilized the connection between Qianlin and himself to call her to his side and took her hand.

“You’re so nervous!” The beguiling voice wafted through the air. She turned to face him.

“Violet Princess!” He growled.

She looked at him, her face wearing a bewitching smile. It came much smoother now, more natural than before – like an actual human. But only ‘like’ a human. She was still too beautiful, too manufactured to be real.

It was inconceivable to him that one of the strongest aliens would simply appear in this place. From what he could tell, she was here for him.

The Violet Princess took a step forward.

Violent bursts of electric energy flared around Lan Jue. Qianlin’s body was surrounded by a pale white light. He didn’t dare give the Princess any leeway – she had been a match for his mother, a Nirvana-level Paragon! Only his father would be able to contend with her.

“You don’t need to be nervous. I only came to speak with you.” She punctuated the thought with an enigmatic smile.

“What do you have to say?” Lan Jue’s voice was low and guarded.

She stopped for a moment to think before continuing. “Your human bodies are very interesting. So much... potential. I like the structure. You seem to be a good specimen for your race, and I would like to mate with you. I am eager to learn about humanity’s genetic construction. We wish to accept this peculiarity. I can feel the promise in you.”

Lan Jue was dumb-founded. She was here to proposition him. An alien propositioning a human? How would one even describe the concept?!

The Princess then seemed to notice the woman beside him. “This one is your mate?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I love her.”

She cantered her head to the side. “This is the same as a mate. In our royal family we do not mind sharing mates. We are only interested in prime genetic material. She can join with us as well.”

“Why would we want to join with you?” He remained calm, poised.

“Evolution!” She said. “My species has an unparalleled ability to evolve. We consume, incorporate, adapt. We are the strongest race in the universe!”

Lan Jue smirked at her. “If that’s true, why do you choose to take on human form?”

Her response was matter-of-fact. “Every species has its advantages and disadvantages. You humans have great potential, but very limited lifespans. After a short time, you die. We do not. As long as we have energy to consume we will continue to exist. From the birth of our mother planet to today’s royal family, you cannot imagine the power we possess. Join with us, and you will gain the ability to consume energy as well.”

“I need time to think about it,” Lan Jue replied.

She nodded. “Alright. I will find you again.” With that, the Princess vanished in a flash of purple light.

Lan Jue stood in the center of the room, still for a long time. When he was sure the Princess had truly left, he breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Qianlin into his arms, though the look in his eyes was contemplative. Humanity needed to understand these aliens.

For the Princess to appear here like she did, it meant his guesses were right. They were here for the Tears of Neptune. Their brief exchange had also been very informative.

Progenitors seemed to be the natal form of their species. They weren’t the strongest, but they were the beginning. That made them vitally important to their species.

The fact that they assumed human forms must mean that their natural bodies had some disadvantage they were trying to overcome. It somehow curtailed their continuous evolution, probably restricted by universal protogenia. If that were not the case he couldn’t think of why they would want to be like humans. They would simply continue to evolve and dominate the universe. Seemingly that was impossible for them as they were.

As for her offer...

Beautiful as she was, the Violet Princess was not human. To Lan Jue these aliens were wild and vicious beasts.

Mate? Hah!