"Everyone, is there anyone else who wishes to go with me?"

Hu Qi’s gaze slowly swept across the group.

Hearing this, the others’ eyes flickered uncertainly. For a moment, no one answered.

Everyone present was well aware of the current state of the Earth Star World.

This world was already in a true era of martial decline.

To remain here meant survival, but it was a meager existence. Advancing their cultivation and strength would be all but impossible.

But there was an advantage: it was safe. With their power and status, they stood at the very apex of this world. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

If they followed Hu Qi to the Sea of Sumeru and other worlds, there might be opportunities for advancement. However, they would also face greater risks, and the slightest misstep could lead to their deaths.

Both options had their pros and cons.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Sir, but this humble Daoist will choose to remain in this world."

After a long moment, Xuanqing spoke.

A clear light coiled around him. Compared to Lei Bao, Wang Jing, and Meng Ke, his aura had not diminished much.

This was understandable. Xuanqing was different from ordinary Refining God Venerables. Due to his unique life form, as long as people believed in him, he would not lack for power.

Although with the advancement of technology to its current state, the number of people who believed in ghosts and gods had dwindled.

However, believers still existed.

Furthermore, as the Federation Speaker, it wasn’t difficult for him to promote the existence of the Xuanqing God.

In essence, the Power of Faith was a special type of energy generated from the belief and worship of all living beings.

When people held strong feelings of reverence, trust, and adoration for a specific entity—such as a Divine Spirit, a hero, or a leader—they would invisibly generate the Power of Faith.

Therefore, the methods for gathering the Power of Faith were not limited to just burning incense and offering sacrifices.

For example, in his public role as the Federation Speaker, the leader of tens of billions of people, he naturally commanded the reverence of countless individuals and reaped a vast amount of the Power of Faith.

This was the reason his strength hadn’t been greatly restricted.

Ultimately, it was because he wasn’t really a Secret Martial Artist at all.

Of course, while he wasn’t severely limited, some of his techniques were still difficult to execute.

After all, Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was the foundation for using all kinds of powerful techniques. Without its support, their destructive power was undoubtedly much weaker.

At the side, hearing Xuanqing’s words, Lei Bao, Meng Ke, and Wang Jing exchanged a look and spoke in unison.

"We feel the same! We are willing to stay in the Earth Star World and look after the Shexin Sect for you, Sir."

"Please rest assured. As long as we are here, the Shexin Sect will be safe and sound!"

Before, they had tried every means to escape Earth Star, even searching for the Spirit Realm Sea Eye, because they knew they stood no chance against the awakened Mother Earth.

If they had stayed on Earth Star then, the only outcome awaiting them was death, which was why they had been willing to leave.

But the situation was different now.

Although the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was depleted, Ouyang Shuokong’s Secret Technique still allowed them to refine a small amount of Primordial Energy. Plus, as Refining God Venerables, their Power of the Heart was unaffected.

Even in this era, they were still invincible in this world.

Of course, there was also a more important point.

Besides Xuanqing, the others had lived from the time the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy first revived until its current depletion. Even by the longest estimate, the oldest among them was only just over four hundred years old.

Compared to the thousands of years of Lifespan a Refining God Venerable possessed, this was a minuscule amount of time.

They were not in a hurry.

Compared to following Hu Qi to an unknown world, they were more inclined to stay in this one.

Perhaps in a few thousand years, when their Lifespans were running out, they would take a gamble in the Sea of Sumeru, but definitely not now.

Besides, what if the decline of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was only temporary and not permanent? It is human nature to hope for the best, and they were no exception.

Hu Qi was not surprised by this outcome, nor did he press the issue.

"If that’s the case, then so be it," Hu Qi said.

Then, his gaze fell on Xuanqing.

"Right, there is something I need to remind you all about.

If you don’t want to see the extinction of civilization repeat itself, then the development of this world must be curbed."

At his words, everyone was startled.

Xuanqing, in particular, was slightly taken aback.

"Sir, could you please explain more clearly?"

After spending the last hundred years with him, Xuanqing knew that Hu Qi wouldn’t say such a thing without reason.

It wasn’t that he knew the man well, but he understood that a being like Hu Qi had no need to make empty threats.

"Do you know how big this world is?" Hu Qi asked faintly.

At his question, the others wore varied expressions.

The Xia Federation’s space technology had advanced to the point of colonizing the Moon Star, and they had naturally begun interstellar exploration.

They had also sent space probes to explore planets farther than Earth Star.

However, the results were not ideal.

Because after leaving a certain range, these probes would encounter all sorts of problems and be destroyed.

If the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy had not been depleted, they might have been able to investigate using their power as Refining God Venerables.

But now, they were completely incapable of doing so.

Therefore, they did not know how large this world was.

Fortunately, Hu Qi hadn’t expected them to answer.

"This world is very small, pathetically so. Earth Star holds the only intelligent life in this realm; beyond it are only barren planets."

At this point, he gave the others a profound look.

"In an ecosystem where only one species dominates and its population is nearing saturation, what do you think happens? I shouldn’t need to elaborate, should I?"

Hearing this, the group was speechless.

Having become Refining God Venerables, none of them were fools.

After Hu Qi’s explanation, they naturally understood the stakes.

In an ecosystem where one species dominates, the lack of natural predators will inevitably lead to that species reproducing and expanding without limit, destroying the habitats of other creatures.

This could lead to the extinction of other species, which in turn would affect the stability of the entire ecosystem.

Once the structure and function of the ecosystem are severely damaged, it is difficult to recover, and the dominant species itself will also be affected.

At that point, the population boom would lead to a shortage of resources, intensifying the pressure to survive.

Even the most powerful species would find it difficult to survive under conditions of extreme resource scarcity, putting the entire population at risk of annihilation.

They were naturally aware of such things.

It was just that, in their view, the world was still vast, and it would take a long time for such a situation to arise.

"Thank you!"

Xuanqing said nothing more, merely offering a respectful bow.

Seeing that Xuanqing understood, Hu Qi said no more.

Although this situation was grim, for Xuanqing, who was a reincarnator and had lived for ten thousand years, it was not without solutions.

The most direct method was to use his own power to drive the world’s ascension to a higher dimension.

Since resources were scarce and the ecosystem was too small, he could just make the world larger.

However, this method was exceedingly difficult and would take a vast amount of time.

Of course, it could also be mitigated by enacting various decrees and using rational, scientific methods like family planning, ecological conservation, and resource management, but a complete solution would be hard to achieve.

Besides that, there was another simple and effective method.

That was to create a natural predator, like the man-eating Black Blood Species.

Of course, the Black Blood Species had been completely wiped out and couldn’t reappear, unless another Mother Earth emerged.

However, sometimes a species’ natural predator can be its own kind.

Of course, he didn’t need to say more about these things. Which method Xuanqing chose to resolve this hidden danger had little to do with him.

’With this in mind,’ he thought, looking to Ouyang Shuokong at his side.

"Rest for one night. We leave tomorrow."

"Yes, Master!"

Ouyang Shuokong clasped his fist. By now, his form of address for Hu Qi had changed.

...

「That night.」

On a viewing deck atop the Zhu Xi Building in Anshan City.

A misty drizzle was falling from the sky.

Through the curtain of rain, the distant neon lights flickered with a dazzling and hazy glow—red, blue, purple...

The various colors intertwined, like an abstract painting.

Hu Qi sat here in quiet meditation, surrounded by silence.

An ordinary person might feel lonely in this situation.

But Hu Qi was the exact opposite. He quite liked this feeling; being in such an environment calmed his heart.

’So stingy. When you think about it, I’m practically your savior! Just because I devoured a bit of your essence, you’re already in a hurry to drive me out.’

Hu Qi tilted his head up slightly, his gaze seemingly able to pierce the dark canopy of the sky and see the will of this world.

After he had devoured the Eye of the Heavens, this world had begun to reject him, a feeling that grew stronger and stronger with the passage of time.