Deathly silence.

An oppressive silence hung in the air, heavy as a lead-gray sky pressing down on every heart.

The sight of those dozens of young women resolutely taking their own lives was an invisible sledgehammer, pounding heavily on the souls of everyone present.

They were the elites of the Fearless Warband, the proud prodigies of the Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University. They were accustomed to life and death and had personally dealt out death countless times.

But this scene filled them with an unprecedented, bone-deep sense of heaviness and helplessness.

Qin Feng stood silently on the blood-soaked ground. His gaze swept over the bodies of the young women, their faces frozen in smiles of relief, and his heart was a storm of complex emotions.

Within his Spiritual Energy perception, he could tell that although the life force of the youngest girl was faint, the resilience of her meridians and the activity of her cells far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

It was an extremely rare Special Constitution, one with a natural, high affinity for Spiritual Energy.

If this girl had been born on an Educational Planet like Morning Star, she would have been fiercely sought after by every major Martial Arts High School. She would have become a celebrated figure watched by countless people, a genius with a boundless future, second to none.

But now, in this borderland forgotten by the Empire’s glory, she didn’t even have the power to choose her own fate. In the end, she had to end her own life in such a tragic, resolute manner—a life that withered before it ever had a chance to bloom.

In that instant, a thousand emotions surged through Qin Feng’s heart.

He thought of his own origins, of his small, humble home that was filled with warmth despite their struggles. He thought of Morning Star, where, despite the brutal competition, the educational system still offered clear paths for advancement.

’How fortunate am I,’ he thought. ’To have come this far, step by step, enjoying the support of the human Empire’s most elite resources, steadily improving my strength according to a clear plan.’

"Evil, destruction, chaos, darkness... They have always existed. They have never vanished."

Qin Feng murmured to himself, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the deathly silent camp.

"I was just... lucky. Lucky to be born in the Canaan Star System, in the heartland of the Empire. Lucky to enjoy the Empire’s core resources, which allowed me to stay far away from all this... But it’s always been there."

He looked at the bodies of the young women, at this land steeped in sin and blood. Then, a thought, more powerful than any he had ever known, ignited in his heart like a wildfire sweeping across the plains.

’Since I’ve been fortunate enough to have all this... then I have a duty to change it all!’

"Kill!"

"Kill every last Alien Race in the Cosmos!"

"Kill every last traitor within the Empire!"

BOOM!!!!

A monstrous killing intent—more terrifying, more pure, more tangible than when he had slain the Believers of Khorne—violently erupted from his seemingly calm body and shot toward the heavens!

This killing intent was so terrifying that the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Zou Yun, Yin Jing, Qin Lan, and the dozen or so surviving freshmen all felt a shudder that originated from the depths of their souls. Their faces turned deathly pale, and they found it incredibly difficult to even breathe.

At that very moment, the scene before Qin Feng’s eyes shifted and transformed!

He felt as if he were standing in a boundless, blood-red space.

Before him stood a terrifying throne, so massive it defied description, built from the countless heads of a myriad of different races, all still dripping with fresh blood.

And upon that throne sat a terrifying figure, its true form impossible to discern, wreathed in endless rage, slaughter, and the Will of War.

The figure was encouraging him.

It was praising him.

"Slaughter! Fight!"

A magnificent and majestic voice, filled with infinite temptation, resounded deep within his soul.

"Pave your path to glory with the blood of your enemies, the bones of the Alien Races, and the wails of traitors!"

"Go and fight! Go and slaughter! Go and seize the ultimate honor within the human Empire—the honor that belongs only to the victorious!"

Battle...

Glory...

Slaughter...

These three words were seared into Qin Feng’s mind like the most powerful Spirit Brand.

The scene before his eyes changed again!

It was as if he was once again seeing Squad Leader Zhou Xiong’s magnificent inauguration ceremony.

Squad Leader Zhou Xiong was clad in heavy power armor, his chest adorned with dozens of dazzling Imperial Medals representing his glorious achievements in battle. Three Ten Thousand Battle Nails were embedded in his forehead.

Behind him, hundreds of thousands of Ultimate Warriors, all at least at the Stellar Rank and also clad in power armor, knelt on one knee, shouting Squad Leader Zhou Xiong’s name with voices that roared like a tsunami, filled with fanaticism and adoration.

What incredible glory!

What incredible majesty!

And all of it was won through one bloody, brutal battle after another.

’Kill everything!’

’Kill every Alien Race!’

’Kill every traitor!’

’Use their deaths to forge my own glory!’

’Yes!’

’That’s it!’

Qin Feng’s eyes turned crimson. The killing intent erupting from him grew ever denser, ever more violent.

His body, clad in power armor, began to expand uncontrollably!

The skin on his forehead bulged, as if something hard, like a horn, was about to burst forth!

His veins writhed and swelled beneath his skin like red-hot irons, as if molten lava now surged through them.