The cafeteria.
Xia Fei waited for Pod and Avril to prepare him dinner, as he toyed with a black ring in his hand. Before Grand Ancestor Xia Gucheng left the study, he had given Xia Fei this ring. He told him that this was the only item that could prove his identity.
Sure enough, Xia Gucheng did have a heart-wrenching history. When he was just a baby, Xia Gucheng was found floating across space on an escape pod by a passing merchant ship; they rescued him, and he was subsequently raised by the captain.
From a young age, Xia Gucheng had demonstrated talent in combat; it was just a pity that his adoptive parents were just common merchants and had been unable to give him more help on that front. The man had to carve a path all by himself to get to where he was today!
Xia Fei kept that ring away and lit a cigarette.
He was not like the grand ancestor. Xia Fei grew up on Earth, and though he had a complex background, he was an Earthling right down to his bones. He loved eating fried bean paste noodles and wanted shredded cucumber strips topped with green onions. The smell from the cigarettes he smoked was thick and acrid.
Whenever Xia Fei missed home, he would find himself reminiscing about his life on Earth, while Xia Gucheng’s mind could only think of that empty escape pod, floating in the nothingness of space, with that ring as his only toy when young.
When Xia Fei related to Xia Gucheng the information he had recently acquired, the latter was once more reminded of how lonely he had been when was young, and while he told him to do his best on his journey to the Annihilation, Xia Fei could actually see the strong sense of doubt lingering in his eyes.
The grand ancestor wished to learn about his past and his people but did not want to burden Xia Fei with it. After all, Xia Fei, who was but one man, would be facing an entire universe that harbored deep animosity toward the Fiends!
Just as Xia Fei was lost in his thoughts, Avril arrived and served their dinner on the table.
After eating some, Xia Fei set down his bowl and chopsticks. He asked, “Avril, do you think that the Skywings are the kind to betray all other clans?”
Avril stuck out her tongue and answered softly, “It’s not as if the Skywings haven’t done something as crazy as challenging the entire Law Realm, but the way I see it, though the Skywings are very arrogant, they’re very reasonable over many things.”
Xia Fei nodded. He had his doubts, which was why he had sought Avril’s opinion.
Indeed, given the Skywing Clan’s style, it was very normal for them to butt heads with others and to be capable of doing anything no matter how crazy things might be. In this vein, since the Fiends had also acted in such a style, betraying the Hero Alliance, Xia Fei believed that they must have had their reason.
It was just that Xia Fei could not think of what reason that might be.
Avril felt that this topic was too deep, so she giggled and said, “Furball has changed a lot upon his return this time. I just gave him several biscuits, and he actually ate them all. In the past, I had to expend much effort just to get him to eat those.”
A bout of awkwardness washed over Xia Fei at once. Honestly speaking, the snacks that Avril made were absolutely horrendous; in fact, he had admitted this to Furball when they were in the Spirit Realm.
Xia Fei ate Avril’s snacks because he did not wish to hurt her feelings, and he reckoned that Furball must be doing the same, too. He had actually learned from Xia Fei, eating whatever she brought no matter how terrible they tasted.
…
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
Bidding farewell to Avril and the Skywing wolfpack, Xia Fei set off for the Annihilation Universe on his own.
The Alpha Universe always had a Cosmic Gate that connected to Annihilation. The Annihilation Universe and the Dragon Universe had been known as the Gemini Stars since the beginning of the sundering, and were considered to be the highest point of all the known universes at present. The guards there were very stern and required someone to take the lead; otherwise, Xia Fei would have no way of using the Cosmic Gate.
Xiu Zetian did not come personally but sent a young man by the name of Shane to pick him up, instead.
The two boarded Shane’s warship at the designated location and eventually arrived at the core of Alpha Universe. The channel linking Annihilation and Alpha was right in the bustling core region.
Shane, who did not look past thirty, was a talkative man with fairly decent looks. He was in charge of external affairs for Dark Soul, and that organization full of really strong experts, who carried out missions while living in secrecy, was not about to reveal itself.
The ship parked at a civilian spaceport. Shane brought Xia Fei downtown, where cars were coming and going, all very lively. The commotion that the Dark Spiritualists had stirred was simmering down, and the entire universe was slowly returning to normal.
…
“Aren’t we going to the Cosmic Gate?” Xia Fei asked, curious. No matter how much he looked, they were now in a metropolitan city, and there was no trace of any Cosmic Gate around.
Shane smiled. “It would take us many days if we were to walk through the Cosmic Gate. Our leader is anxious to meet you, so we’ll be taking this shortcut. We’ll register straight away with the Furnace Citadel, so that we can make our way to the headquarters, which will save us thirty-six hours’ time.”
Just like a scene from a novel, the bustling city actually hid a secret passageway, which was directly linked to the Annihilation; located below an inconspicuous financial company, this passageway let Xia Fei and Shane enter the Annihilation Universe with the use of a spatial traversal array.
There was an oasis in the middle of a vast desert, with several palm trees and a sizable pool in the middle. It gave this desolate desert the slightest breath of life.
Furnace Citadel was built upon an oasis. Despite the sandy yellow fort being inconspicuous, it was actually an important first stop for Neophyte Dragoons of the four main legions. They needed to register here and accept the first test from the Dragoons. Most people would even be requested to remain in the Furnace Citadel so that they could undergo intensive training and achieve the lowest requirement expected from Neophyte Dragoons.
The high temperature caused Shane to wipe the sweat off his brow. He pointed at the yellow citadel in the distance and said, “That’s the Furnace Citadel. Go in first and register as a Neophyte Dragoon. We’ll leave this place once you get your registration. Sorry, I can’t follow you in, as the sudden appearance of a Dark Soul member would make these people very uneasy.”
Xia Fei nodded and made his way to Furnace Citadel. It was almost as if the Dark Soul organization carried a lot of weight. Just then, Shane had only flashed his identification for the spatial traversal array’s use but was, otherwise, able to freely go wherever without registering.
Furnace Citadel practically had no guards roaming about. Built in this vast and empty desert, anyone who could come here would be from the four major Dragoon legions, or their neophytes, and what sort of identity was a Dragoon? Even a fool would not start any trouble here, unless they had no regard for their life.
Xia Fei entered the premises unimpeded and found the registration counter as instructed by Shane. This was the only small courtyard in the Furnace Citadel, and there were just a handful of people standing around. It seemed that they were all like Xia Fei, waiting to register as a Dragoon.
There were only three windows in this courtyard, and they were respectively for the Holy Light Dragoons, Destiny Dragoons, and the Darkmoon Dragoons. Xia Fei simply could not find any trace of where he should go to register as a Devil Shadow Dragoon.
The difference between the three registration counters was massive; the Holy Light Dragoons’ window was in the most prominent position, the Destiny Dragoons’ was second, while the Darkmoon Dragoons’ had it worst, for it was assigned to some corner, clearly unimportant. Their window was even smaller and dingier compared to the former two.
Such an arrangement highlighted the disparity between the positions of the Dragoons. Humans represented the largest population in the universe, which was why the Holy Light Dragoons were the mightest; the Bluebloods came in second with their Destiny Dragoons; finally, the assortment of minor races formed the Darkmoon Dragoons, a motley army that lacked status.
Frowning, Xia Fei came to the waiting area beside the Holy Light Dragoons’ window, where there were three fairly young humans currently in line. The one at the very front had even brought out a chair and was now sitting on it with his leg crossed over the other.
“Excuse me. Where is the registration counter for the Devil Shadow Dragoons?” XIa Fei asked politely.
*Zing*
The moment those words escaped his lips, countless shocked expressions gathered on Xia Fei. There were no more than seven or eight people in this courtyard, and every pair of eyes was now trained on him.
“What did you say?!” the young man, who was seated, blurted out.
“I wish to register with the Devil Shadow Dragoon,” Xia Fei answered unhurriedly.
It was as though the words ‘Devil Shadow Dragoon’ had some sort of magic effect, for everyone began to regard him with unfriendly eyes, but Xia Fei could not care less about their reactions. He swept his gaze around and asked in a deep voice, “What? Is everyone here unable to understand my question?”
When he made that comment, the seated young man got up and pointed right at him. “You *ssh*l*! Are you crazy?! How are the Devil Shadow Dragoons still in existence?!”
That person spoke with a bit of pomp, and his gorgeous clothes matched this extravagance. There was a domineering glint in his eyes.
Xia Fei frowned. Just as he decided not to say anything more, that same young man resumed speaking. “The Devil Shadow Dragoons are the biggest traitors in all the universes! My clan’s ancestors suffered a lot because of the Devil Shadow Dragoons’ betrayal, yet you twerp dared to say those words in front of me? Watch that yours truly doesn’t break your leg!”
“Well said!”
“The Devil Shadow Dragoons are the most hated!”
Everyone around actually started cheering. It was evident that they all held a grudge that was too deep, and the Devil Shadow name was truly not well-received in the Annihilation Universe.
That young man puffed out his chest, all pleased with himself, feeling as though he were in the limelight this time.
*Crunch*
*Squelch*
Everyone was hardly able to make sense of what had happened; all they saw was that young man, who had shot off his mouth, getting sent flying!
Speed was king! Xia Fei had broken that man’s arm and sent him flying with a kick. Everything had happened in the span of a single second!
*Speedster!”
“This man is a speed warrior!”
Everyone was in a state of panic. Someone hurriedly rushed over to pick up that young man, who had been thrown onto the ground, and the lines were very clearly drawn. Evidently, because Xia Fei was a Devil Shadow Dragoon, no one was willing to stand on his side.
With a smile, Xia Fei seemed not to care how the others saw him and said, “Looks like none of you know where the Devil Shadow Dragoons are supposed to register, so don’t waste my time.”
Such an attitude was the epitome of arrogance!
He swept a cold gaze around, and while he said no words, the look in his eyes made things apparent. It was as though, even if everyone present ganged up on him, Xia Fei would not be afraid of anything.
“Xia Fei, you’re drawing too much attention.” Radix furtively relayed this to Xia Fei.
Xia Fei did not agree to this. “Yours truly didn’t come out here to be bullied. Besides, that’s how I usually operate. Others would probably suspect me more if I stayed my sword the moment I made it to the Annihilation Universe.”
That young man gritted his teeth as someone helped him up. “The Devil Shadow Dragoon here is trying to revel; let’s all take him down together!”
There were few who rallied to his call. After all, Xia Fei had struck with such ferocity and was also a hard-to-deal-with speed warrior. Fear was still lingering in everyone’s hearts after witnessing that display of strength.
This was when Furball suddenly jumped out from Xia Fei’s bosom. He let loose a roar at these Neophyte Dragoons, his attitude far more savage than Xia Fei’s!
Instantly, the color from everyone’s faces drained, and they subconsciously retreated a good distance.
Furball, at his peak rank and ingested Dragon Qi, was no pushover. He exuded a stalwart majesty that could be heard in that one roar!
“A Holy Beast!”
“That’s Shatterstar! A peak-level Shatterstar?!”
The expressions on these young men’s faces changed greatly, and no one dared to take a step forward. As for Furball, he did not give the slightest care/ as to what they did. He dove back into Xia Fei’s bosom and acted as if nothing had happened.
“Just you wait!”
That young, man who had had his arm broken by Xia Fei, hissed before he went running to the frontyard while holding his broken arm, as if he was off to find reinforcement.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette. The first day he set foot in the Annihilation Universe was going very poorly, and he could not help but feel a little worried. The name of the Devil Shadow Dragoon was extremely ominous, no different from a flag that heralded when one was looking for trouble!
Suddenly, he saw a door beside the registration point open, and a chubby hand reached out, beckoning Xia Fei to enter.
