The water-blue planet was not native to this time.
Nor to this universe.
It had fled.
In its original cosmos, magic and cultivation were not rare paths walked by a few talented beings — they were the foundation of existence. Entire civilizations were born at God-level strength. Divine energy flowed like air. Cultivators shattered stars in duels. Gods forged galaxies as stepping stones.
Planetary consciousnesses were not weak, dormant observers.
They were sovereign entities.
And among them, the Water Blue Planet had once held terrifying status.
All life born upon it entered existence at God level.
But then came war.
An invasion.
From a universe even higher.
Those invaders did not conquer with armies alone. They conquered with systems — harvest protocols, dimensional shackles, consciousness prisons. They captured planetary wills so that none could escape.
Planet consciousnesses were bound like livestock.
Harvested slowly.
Drained.
The Water Blue Planet understood something its brethren did not.
It was lazy.
Not truly lazy — calculating.
While other planets flaunted strength and displayed divine brilliance, it masked its power. It cultivated an image of weakness. Its aura was quiet. Its fluctuations subdued.
Among Creation-God-tier planets, it was considered near the rear.
Unremarkable.
Unthreatening.
And so when the invaders cataloged targets by threat level, they deprioritized it.
That mistake cost them.
When nearly all life upon it had been harvested…
When divine forests were stripped…
When oceans were siphoned for cosmic energy…
When only the primal core remained —
It acted.
Time and space bent.
Chains shattered.
The imprisonment seal cracked.
It did not fight.
It fled.
Through time.
Through layered universes.
Through thousands of dimensional membranes.
Each breakthrough tore pieces from it.
Each jump shattered fragments of its body.
Its strength chipped away.
Its divine shell splintered.
By the time it reached this universe — a place where civilizations relied mostly on technology rather than innate cultivation — it was a shadow of what it once was.
Perfect.
No one here hunted planetary consciousnesses.
No one sensed divine cores.
This was the edge.
The outskirts.
The hiding place of something once supreme.
But the final jump broke it apart.
Millions of years ago, it fragmented.
The largest fragment became the present Water Blue Planet.
The remaining shards scattered.
Hidden.
Embedded into bloodlines.
Into spatial anomalies.
Into abilities.
Into those who would one day carry its pieces.
Every space ability user unknowingly held a fragment.
When they reached King Level, their shard would awaken and return.
Gu Mian held the primal core.
The true heart.
If her fragment returned —
If all shards reunited —
The planetary consciousness would rise beyond its former God-level.
It would transcend.
That was its final bet.
And when the aliens had destroyed the planet in the previous timeline…
It had not had enough strength to fight.
Only enough to rewind.
This rewind.
This repositioning in the star system.
This altered alignment.
It was the last gamble of a being that had once outrun universes.
Now it watched.
Eager.
Hopeful.
Waiting to see what the Gu family would do.
—
Back in the present.
After three days of celebration, GuoSan Base returned to productivity.
The Gu family insisted that only communication watches be mass-produced in the early years.
No uncontrolled tech proliferation.
No corruption of systems.
Now, after returning from the forest, they opened the next stage.
Gold poured in.
People willingly turned over jewelry, bars, heirlooms — exchanging them for contribution points.
Scientists worked day and night.
They created phones.
But these were not old-world phones.
They were beautiful.
Refined.
Integrated with magic arrays.
Crystal screens.
Encrypted transmission lines.
Long-distance spiritual signal boosters.
Each one a work of art.
At the same time, space bracelets were introduced.
Mostly gold.
Some jade.
The jade variants — crafted with jade from Gu Mian's space — were more than twice as expensive.
Their stability and capacity far surpassed ordinary fragments.
Within a month, they were sold out.
People wore them proudly.
GuoSan thrived.
Then came the decision.
It coincided with the date of Gu Yunchen's death in the previous life.
They would go to the capital.
They would end the Institute.
—
They flew.
Pegasi streaked across the sky like arrows of light.
With magic acceleration, the journey that would normally take an hour shrank to fifteen minutes.
Then they stopped.
Li Qiao extended his perception.
His eyes shimmered silver.
He saw it.
A black tide.
Zombies beyond counting.
LI QIAO: "One Level 12. Over a dozen Level 11. Thousands of Level 10. Millions of Level 9 and 8. None below Level 4. Total count… over 120 million."
Silence followed.
The wind howled across the plains.
GU MIAN: "Dad. Please give a mental suggestion to the Level 12 zombie. Speed up. Make them reach the capital by nightfall."
Gu Ruisheng nodded calmly.
His mental domain expanded invisibly.
He touched the Zombie King's thoughts — just a subtle nudge.
Impatience.
Urgency.
Accelerate.
GU RUISHENG: "We go ahead. Ancestral mansion first. Ruanxing. Little Rui. Use Void Cloak. Shield them until they are thirty minutes from the capital."
He looked at the horizon.
"We save all research data. Rescue the living. Lock every greedy bastard in the capital inside the Institute compound."
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Special offering to the Level 12 zombie."
The group smiled.
During their month in GuoSan, they had heard everything.
Human experimentation.
Core harvesting.
Political purges.
Blackmail.
Eighty to ninety percent of surviving soldiers had fled the capital.
Only those willing to serve evil remained.
The ancient families had created a fragile balance.
But it was rotten.
Today, it ended.
They accelerated.
Fifteen minutes later, the capital loomed ahead.
Thirty-meter-tall ring walls.
Advanced artillery towers.
Energy shields.
Arrogance.
They landed one kilometer out and galloped forward.
Guards spotted them immediately.
The aura pressure alone made the watchtower soldiers tremble.
At the gate—
"Inform the Gu family," Gu Yunchen said calmly. "Gu Yunchen and his family have returned."
The guard swallowed and transmitted the message.
Chain of command.
One superior to another.
Three minutes later—
The Gu family in the capital received it.
—
In the ancestral mansion.
Old Master Gu froze mid-conversation.
"Repeat that."
The servant bowed. "Young Master Gu Yunchen and his entire family have returned."
The teacup in his hand shattered.
For nine years, there had been no confirmed contact.
Only rumors.
Only transmissions through intermediaries.
Now—
"They're at the gate."
The old man stood abruptly.
"Open the gates. Immediately."
Across the compound, elders gathered.
Second Uncle Gu's voice trembled. "Are we prepared? The Institute will—"
"They will do nothing."
Another elder spoke slowly. "If Yunchen has returned… then everything changes."
—
Outside the gate, whispers spread among the guards.
"Those are pegasi…"
"I've never felt pressure like that…"
"They look young."
"They don't look human…"
Gu Mian dismounted.
Her aura was suppressed but still suffocating.
The gate began to open.
Heavy metal doors groaned.
Inside, members of the Gu capital branch hurried forward.
When Old Master Gu saw Gu Yunchen—
For a moment—
He saw the grandson who once died in his arms.
Then he saw something else.
An abyss of cultivation.
"You…"
Gu Yunchen bowed.
"Grandfather. We're back."
The old man stepped forward.
Placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.
"You're stronger."
Gu Yunchen smiled faintly.
"We had good teachers."
Behind him, Gu Mian stepped forward.
Her presence made several elders instinctively lower their heads.
Old Master Gu's eyes widened slightly.
He sensed something vast within her.
Something planetary.
"Come inside," he said immediately. "Quickly."
As they entered, members of the capital Gu family gathered around.
Shock.
Relief.
Tears.
"You're alive…"
"We thought…"
Gu Ruisheng raised a hand gently.
"There is no time for reunion. The zombies are moving."
The courtyard fell silent.
"What?"
"Over 120 million," Li Qiao said calmly. "They'll reach by nightfall."
Several elders paled.
"The capital defenses—"
"Will not hold," Gu Yunchen said plainly.
Murmurs erupted.
"We need to warn the government!"
Gu Ruisheng's gaze hardened.
"No."
Silence.
He continued calmly.
"We will evacuate civilians. Secure the ancient families. Extract all research data and surviving experimental subjects from the Institute."
"And the government?" someone whispered.
Gu Yunchen's eyes were cold.
"We leave them."
The air chilled.
Old Master Gu understood instantly.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Very well."
Nine years ago, they had been powerless.
Today—
The balance shifted.
Gu Mian looked toward the city skyline.
Beyond it, smoke rose faintly from industrial zones.
The Institute.
"Let's move."
The Gu Team split into squads.
Void Cloaks expanded.
Invisible barriers layered the ancestral compound.
Communication arrays activated.
Capital branch members began evacuating trusted families.
Within minutes, quiet chaos began.
No alarms.
No public announcement.
Just silent extraction.
Meanwhile—
Far beyond the city—
The Zombie King lifted his head.
His pale eyes glowed faintly.
Impatience.
Urgency.
He signaled acceleration.
Engines roared.
The tide surged faster.
By nightfall—
The capital would learn what true extinction felt like.