Chapter 984
Black Rock Clan
Zaton said in a deep voice:
Do you think the Imperial Central Committee will accept this investigation report?
Hundreds of stars, all of them naturally dying out—this just doesn't make sense.
Once he submits this report, he knows without a doubt how the imperial central government will react; they will definitely give him a severe dressing down.
At this moment, Zaton looked at the armored man standing to the side.
"Loss, what are the results of your investigation?"
This armored man is the executor sent by the empire this time, and one of the executors of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Los shook his head: "Nothing was found."
He was in charge of the investigation, and the imperial high command suspected that the recent celestial anomaly was likely related to Chen Feng, so they sent him over.
But it was only suspicion; the fleet that actually investigated Chen Feng went to a hundred light-years away.
Because when Chen Feng disappeared, he was heading towards a more distant place.
Zaton frowned. After investigating for so long, he still hadn't found a clue. He turned to one of them and asked:
"How many more star systems are left to investigate?"
Their survey covered a range of 100 light-years. Although it was only 100 light-years, there were many galaxies within that range.
They only investigated a portion of it.
The fleet staff member reported, "There are still thirty-two star systems where celestial bodies have mysteriously disappeared, and these have not yet been investigated."
“I mean all of them!” Zaton continued to ask.
The staff member glanced at the holographic star map in his hand and then said, "If we include the galaxies without any anomalies, there are probably more than forty galaxies that haven't been investigated yet, but they are all small galaxies, some of which are less than a light-year in diameter."
Even if each of the more than forty star systems is small, it would take them a great deal of time to investigate them one by one.
Zaton remained silent for a while before asking again:
"Notify the nearest affiliated civilizations and have them send people to assist us in the investigation. We must investigate all the star systems here within a month!"
Zaton didn't want to waste time here; the central leadership was eagerly awaiting the results of his investigation.
No one had any objection to Zaton's decision.
The Crimson Cloud Empire has many affiliated civilizations in the Orion Arm, and anyone who reaches the captain level can mobilize these affiliated civilizations to do things for them.
For large-scale searches like this, it is undoubtedly best to leave them to subordinate civilizations.
Only half a month had passed since Zaton's order was issued.
The nearest affiliated civilizations in the vicinity immediately dispatched warships to the scene.
With the interstellar gate in place, these civilizations did not spend much time arriving in this region.
A thorough search began in the area.
The warships of these affiliated civilizations are not as advanced as those of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Communication methods also only use electromagnetic waves.
Such a large commotion was naturally noticed by the Earth.
Space agencies around the world took these unusual electromagnetic waves very seriously after discovering them, and immediately began analyzing them and observing them with astronomical telescopes.
The data they obtained shocked them to the extreme!
At least hundreds of unidentified flying objects have been spotted within a hundred light-years of the outer solar system.
In the past, if these unidentified flying objects were discovered, countries around the world would definitely launch electromagnetic waves to probe them.
However, Xingfeng Group recently issued a notice strictly prohibiting all countries in the world from sending electromagnetic wave signals into deep space without authorization.
Furthermore, Xingfeng Group also remotely linked these electromagnetic wave devices.
This also makes countries hesitant to launch electromagnetic waves to test the waters.
Meanwhile, inside the lunar base.
Chen Feng was controlling the immortal corpse puppet, cultivating in Lin Wei's bedroom.
He has basically stayed here for the past two weeks and hasn't gone out.
Just then, Lin Wei walked in with a serious expression.
Chen Feng opened his eyes and looked at Lin Wei.
Lin Wei immediately said, "Something's happened! Our detectors have detected a large number of flying objects tens of light-years away from us. Through detection, we can confirm that they are interstellar warships!"
Chen Feng frowned upon hearing this:
"Can you tell what class of warship it is?"
The first thing that came to his mind was the Crimson Cloud Empire.
But he had already lured the Crimson Cloud Empire a hundred light-years away. How come they've come back? Could it be that they've discovered some clues?
Lin Wei said, "It's not a warship from the Crimson Cloud Empire. It's a warship we've never seen before. Its level should be similar to our warp drive spaceship."
Lin Wei took out a tablet computer, which contained images they had captured using deep space probes.
Nearly dozens of warships were photographed, and these warships were not of a uniform type, but had various shapes.
Clearly, these warships do not belong to the same civilization.
Lin Wei said, "I have already sent Jack with the fleet to guard the Ort Cloud. They will retaliate immediately if anything happens."
Chen Feng stood up, nodded, and said:
"I understand. I'll have the main body come back."
Just as Chen Feng finished speaking, his true form appeared in the room the next second.
Upon seeing Chen Feng's true form appear, Lin Wei asked, "Won't this affect your cultivation?"
Chen Feng shook his head: "No."
At this moment, Chen Feng had already raised his cultivation level to the second step of the Dao Integration stage.
Half a month has passed on Earth, but nearly half a year has passed in the Scroll World.
By absorbing the Daoist Crystal, Chen Feng successfully overcame his second tribulation.
Chen Feng is preparing for his third tribulation.
After breaking through to the second step of the Dao Integration Realm, Chen Feng's Star Dao Fruit was not only improved, but his divine sense and soul were also greatly enhanced.
The advancement in his cultivation realm also enhanced his physical strength, allowing him to better control his own power.
The most crucial change is to the painting itself.
He originally thought the painting would change after he broke through to a higher realm, but he didn't expect that the painting would change again after he took the second step of the Dao Integration Realm.
Now the transmission range of the scroll has been expanded from one hundred light-years to two hundred light-years.
The scope of modifications to the scroll has also been greatly expanded.
This change excited Chen Feng.
His greatest trump card was always the scroll painting.
Chen Feng then looked at Lin Wei and said, "I'm leaving now."
After saying that, Chen Feng's figure disappeared from the spot. The Immortal Corpse Puppet could not use the scroll's teleportation, so he could only send his main body over.
Thirty light-years away outside the solar system.
A fleet is sailing, its warships entirely black, with many strange totems visible on them.
Within the fleet, there was a group of rock people.
They are called rock people because their bodies are made entirely of black rock, each with a single eye and a height of only about one meter.
The Black Rock Civilization is a first-level civilization within the Orion Arm and is currently one of the subordinate civilizations of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Compared to the Nero tribe, the Black Rock Civilization held a higher status within the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Some Blackrock tribesmen even hold positions in the Imperial Army.
This is because the Blackrock people have a unique talent: their bodies begin to petrify from birth, and this petrification gradually strengthens over time.
A sixth-tier Blackrock Clan member already possesses a physical strength comparable to a seventh-tier being. Of course, the Blackrock Clan is not perfect; they are simply an evolved race.
Upon reaching the peak of the seventh rank, the Black Rock Clan will die, and their physical bodies will be transformed into a special material.
This material is extremely valuable, and the Crimson Cloud Empire collects large quantities of it from the Black Rock Clan every year.
This is one of the reasons why the Black Rock Civilization was valued by the Crimson Cloud Empire.
This time, Zaton notified its affiliated civilizations to come and investigate this area, and the Blackrock Civilization also sent a fleet.
Inside the fleet compartment.
The Blackrock Clan captain looked at the Blackrock Clan members and said:
"The Empire attaches great importance to the anomalies in this region. Including us, there are a total of seven civilizations here this time. We must find out the cause of the anomalies in this region before the other civilizations do."
This captain is a seventh-tier Black Rock Clan member, and his physical strength is comparable to that of a Celestial Venerable level expert.
The entire Blackrock Clan only has six seventh-tier members, and this time they specially sent one, which shows how much importance the Blackrock Clan attaches to this matter.
A Blackrock Clan member asked, "Captain, we've searched four star systems and haven't found anything unusual. The Empire hasn't provided any clues either. It's too difficult to find anything."
The rest of the Blackrock tribesmen nodded in agreement.
The Black Rock Clan's technology is not advanced. If it weren't for the Crimson Cloud Empire providing them with some technology over the years, they wouldn't even have warships.
"Hmph! We'll search even if we can't find it. The clan chief has already said that the next head of state's election is about to begin, and our Black Rock Clan must gain the new head of state's approval during this election!"
"As long as we can make contributions, our Black Rock Clan may even have the opportunity to enter the council in the future. At that time, our Black Rock Clan will no longer be at the mercy of others, and the Black Rock Clan will surely become glorious!"
The Crimson Cloud Empire has a complex system, and the emperor changes every thousand years.
Every time the head of state changes, the interests within the empire are redistributed.
The Black Rock Clan's precarious situation over the past thousand years stemmed from their failure to support the current imperial leader.
Many Blackrock people serving in the Empire have yet to have the opportunity to rise to higher positions.
Therefore, the Black Rock Clan has been preparing for the next change of leadership in recent years.
They had already decided on their preferred candidates.
What they need to do now is to make enough contributions to the empire so that they have enough influence to support the new head of state.
The other Blackrock tribesmen also showed resolute expressions upon hearing this.
"The captain is right, our Blackrock Clan will definitely rise!"
"Long live the Blackrock Clan!"
Long live the Black Rock Civilization!
"."
The Black Rock Clan is not very intelligent; a little verbal provocation can ignite their fighting spirit.
The Black Rock Clan's allegiance to the Crimson Cloud Empire was not due to the Empire's strength.
The Crimson Cloud Empire subjugated the Black Rock Clan simply by sending envoys to negotiate with them.
For the next tens of thousands of years, the Blackrock Clan willingly provided their petrified members to the Empire without even a hint of resistance.
It is precisely because of the Blackrock Clan's blind loyalty that they are one of the few subordinate civilizations that have been recruited into the military by the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Just as a group of Blackrock tribesmen were getting excited
A voice suddenly rang out beside them:
Do you think the new head of state would value you looking like this?
Upon hearing this, the Black Rock Clan members were startled and immediately looked towards the corner of the room, where they saw a black-robed figure standing there.
The person in the black robe was completely shrouded in black, making it impossible to see their face.
The Black Rock Clan members immediately became alert.
Their bodies immediately emitted a faint, earthy-yellow glow.
This is a unique talent of the Blackrock Clan; once activated, it enhances their physical strength.
"Who are you!" The Black Rock Clan captain stared intently at the man in black robes.
The fact that they could appear on their warship so silently means that the opponent's strength is definitely extraordinary.
The man in black robes spoke calmly: "Don't worry about who I am. All you need to know is that I can help you gain merit and even give your clan enough influence within the empire."
The man in black robes was none other than Chen Feng.
After leaving Earth, he planned to find a fleet to inquire about the purpose of these people coming to the vicinity of the solar system.
And this Blackrock Clan fleet just happened to be the closest to Earth.
With his strength, he could teleport into the warship without being detected by the Blackrock Clan.
Therefore, Chen Feng heard the entire conversation between the Black Rock Clan members.
Chen Feng originally planned to kill all of them and leave two people to interrogate.
But after overhearing the conversation between the Blackrock Clan members, he abandoned the plan.
These Blackrock tribesmen don't seem to be very intelligent; they might be able to be used by him.
Hearing Chen Feng's words, the Black Rock Clan captain didn't believe him at all, and said coldly, "Hmph, how arrogant! Who do you think you are?"
Chen Feng didn't answer, but instead pressed his right hand forward.
The terrifying power of the stars instantly pressed down on the Black Rock Clan members in the arena!
Chen Feng's control over the power of stars has reached a level of perfection.
Even if he were to take action inside this warship, he could still manage to avoid destroying it.
Under the influence of Chen Feng's star power, the Black Rock Clan members in the arena were instantly pressed to the ground and unable to move, with only the Black Rock Clan captain barely able to stand.
His rocky body was radiating an earthy yellow light.
The Black Rock Clan captain's physical strength had reached the eighth level, so he could naturally withstand Chen Feng's Star Power suppression.
But soon, the Blackrock Clan captain's expression changed.
He discovered that the force pressing down on him was increasing, and the surface of his rocky body had begun to cave in.
"An eighth-tier powerhouse! You are the Empire's executive officer!" The Black Rock Clan captain stared at Chen Feng in shock.
An eighth-tier powerhouse—this level of powerhouse would be considered top-tier even in the Orion Arm.
Don't be fooled by the fact that their seventh-tier Black Rock Clan experts possess the physical strength of an eighth-tier expert; in essence, there is still a significant gap between them and an eighth-tier expert.
Chen Feng asked, "Can we have a proper talk now?"
Chen Feng wasn't too surprised that the Black Rock Clan captain mistook him for an executive officer.
He had already obtained relevant information about the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Only the Crimson Cloud Empire has an eighth-tier powerhouse in the entire Orion Arm.
As for matters concerning him, the Crimson Cloud Empire obviously wouldn't casually inform these subordinate civilizations.
It was within his expectations that the Blackrock Clan considered him an executive officer of the Empire.
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, the Black Rock Clan captain immediately spoke respectfully.
"I acted impulsively just now, please forgive me, Your Excellency!"
Seeing this, Chen Feng also withdrew the star power in the arena.
The suppressed Black Rock tribesmen instantly collapsed to the ground.
Everyone looked at Chen Feng with fear in their eyes.
Imperial Executives are the true pillars of the empire. Each executive represents the empire and is its most elite fighting force.
Normally, the Blackrock Clan has no chance to see the Empire's executive officers, because the imperial executive officers only obey the orders of the imperial central government and the head of state. (End of Chapter)