Inside the small palace of the Supreme Council, only Lanling and Lord Bulo from the Lunar Holy Palace remained.

"Lord Bulo, when did you leave the Dragon Demon Planet?" Lanling asked.

"A long, long, long time ago...," Lord Bulo said, "after the Void Creatures crisis was discovered, before the internal conflict and division within the Dragon Demon Temple."

Lanling asked, "Why did you leave?"

Lord Bulo replied, "To seek the method for salvation!"

"Method for salvation?" Lanling asked, puzzled.

Lord Bulo replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, searching for the method for salvation. Delving into the cosmic star system to find a star system suitable for the survival of Dragon Demon Civilization. You know, this is an incredibly difficult process, so during these hundred thousand years, my soul has been drifting in the cosmic abyss, trying to find a new home."

Lanling asked, "Was it then that Yao Xing left you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lord Bulo replied, "to be precise, it was then that I parted ways with Yao Xing. I knew I would be away for a long, long time, so there needed to be a new supreme ruler for the entire Dragon Demon Planet and Dragon Demon Temple. Thus, I allowed Yao Xing to leave me; I ventured deep alone into the cosmos."

Lanling asked, "Then why didn’t you designate a successor before leaving? That way, there would have been no internal conflict in the Dragon Demon Temple, and the Dragon Demon Planet wouldn’t have been divided."

Lord Bulo said bitterly, "Your Majesty, I didn’t have that authority. Yao Xing would choose its master on its own." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Lanling asked, "After these hundred thousand years of cosmic wandering, have you found a new home? A suitable star system for the Dragon Demon Civilization?"

Lord Bulo replied painfully, "Your Majesty, this search is an incredibly painful process. During these hundred thousand years, I continually jumped across various dimensions, traversing and searching countless star systems, each time filled with hope and then faced with disappointment again and again. This time I indeed made a major discovery, but I dare not speak it aloud now, afraid of yet another disappointment after revealing it. I need to perform final confirmation and exploration."

Lanling asked, "Are you leaving again?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lord Bulo replied, "after matters here are settled, I will leave. I have anchored a clone in that hopeful star system and then returned at full speed to correct the errors of these foolish beings within the Moon civilization."

Then, Lord Bulo looked up at the dome and said, "To return at full speed, lest the situation becomes irreversible, I spent nearly half of my energy. So, Your Majesty, this might be the last time we meet."

Lanling couldn’t help but be taken aback.

Lord Bulo continued, "If luckily, the hopeful star system is suitable for our civilization to thrive, I won’t have enough strength to return at full speed. I will transmit the coordinates of this star system from afar, waiting for our civilization to break through to the Ninth Level, and then the entire moon will travel as a Universe Battleship to that hopeful star system, rekindling civilization."

Lanling replied, "If that day comes, shouldn’t you be waiting there?"

Lord Bulo answered, "No, Your Majesty. In some sense, I am a traitor, a traitor to the Dragon Demon Planet. At the critical moment, I left the Dragon Demon Planet to explore the cosmos. Thus, my only mission is to find a new star system that allows the survival of the Dragon Demon Civilization. Once this star system is found, my task is complete, my mission fulfilled, and I should meet my end. As for leading the development of this star system, that is Your Majesty’s mission."

Lanling said, "But according to the Moon Civilization’s plan, I’m supposed to die, venturing into the Void Abyss to suppress those Void Creatures plotting to destroy the entire world?"

"These incompetent, ignorant fools," Lord Bulo said angrily, "Your Majesty, they are too narrow-minded, resulting in such foolish suggestions. They may think that escaping from the Void Master’s Dark Star Region is a great achievement. However, what they don’t realize is that venturing to a new star system is only the beginning. All disasters and crises will come flooding in. At that moment, the entire civilization needs a leader, a ruler to guide them through thorns and hardships. The world cannot be without the sun, nor the earth without a ruler. Without Your Majesty’s guidance, the entire civilization has no future."

Lanling said, "Lord Bulo, you flatter me too much. I don’t possess the qualities of a ruler."

Lord Bulo replied, "Your Majesty, whether you have the qualities of a ruler isn’t for me to decide, but for Yao Xing to decide. It is the chaotic will of the Creator God; it chose you, not me. So, whether willing or not, the responsibility of leading this civilization forward always falls upon Your Majesty’s shoulders."

Lanling asked, "Then how long until the Ninth Energy Civilization breakthrough?"

Lord Bulo said, "I think it should be ten to twenty years. Of course, you are the master of Yao Xing, possessing the strongest spiritual power in this world in your cerebral domain. With your involvement, I reckon the progress might accelerate. So please review every process in the Ninth Energy Civilization and lead the upcoming development and breakthroughs."

Lanling asked, "Is this appropriate?"

Lord Bulo looked at Lanling, directly kneeling on one knee, "Your Majesty, children may disregard, but as parents, they cannot abandon them. Although the people of the Lunar Holy Palace are foolish, they are still your subjects. You may reprimand them, punish them, but you cannot treat them as outsiders. You are not only the supreme ruler of the Dragon Demon Planet but also the supreme emperor of the three races within the Moon Civilization. Everyone on the moon must obey your command. Everything within the Moon Civilization must be under your scrutiny and control."

Lanling nodded and said, "Alright, I can try."

Then, Lanling said, "Even if I participate, it’s unlikely that we can significantly accelerate the process of breaking through to the Ninth Energy Civilization. Meanwhile, the Void Creatures below are stirring restlessly, constantly spreading, and within at most a year and a half, they will devour the entire Dragon Demon Planet. By then, the Moon will lose the gravitational pull of the Dragon Demon Planet and will be captured by nearby celestial bodies, and all these nearby celestial bodies have already become the planets of the Void Creatures, correct?"

"Correct!" Lord Bulo said, "My Majesty, all star systems within a dozen light-years around us have already been devoured by the Void Creatures!"

Then, with a wave of his hand.

A giant 3D image appeared before Lanling’s eyes.

Almost all stars within sight, except for the Sun, had been completely devoured by the Void Creatures.

Each planet had expanded many times over, all covered with surging Void Creatures.

Lanling asked, "Why hasn’t the Sun been devoured yet?"

Lord Bulo replied, "My Majesty, the Sun is the final target. Once the Dragon Demon Planet is devoured, all planets dominated by Void Creatures around this Sun will encircle it in an instant and devour the Sun in one fell swoop. By then, our star system will be completely annihilated."

"A year and a half, we don’t have enough time," Lanling said, "unless someone goes to the Void Abyss to suppress them, sacrificing themselves like Emperor E Tian."

Lord Bulo said, "My Majesty, how is your duplication technique?"

Lanling responded, "I can duplicate endlessly, and these duplicates can even crack the AI of the Hailang-class Battleship, and the Starforce Launcher. But... there is only one true soul entity. To suppress the Void Creatures requires the true soul entity; duplicates won’t work! And once the true soul entity perishes, all duplicates will disintegrate."

Lord Bulo said, "My Majesty, I happen to have some insights into soul duplication. You’ve seen my creation, Zhi Yan!"

Lanling nodded, "I have seen her. She is a complete Zhi Yan, possessing a fully independent, complete, and free soul. However, she has lost many memories."

Lord Bulo said, "There was no choice; her sacrifice was too thorough. I was only able to collect a tiny fragment of her soul energy, and from this small fragment, I deciphered the permutations of her soul energy, ultimately replicating the entire soul. But some memories indeed are difficult to restore."

Lanling said, "You mean you can replicate two of me, with complete independent soul wills. One can rule the Moon, and the other can suppress those Void Creatures in the Void Abyss?"

Lord Bulo said, "Yes, my Majesty! You’ve entered the Soul Astral Walk more than once, and every person’s soul is like an individual universe, containing countless stars, luminous fixed stars, and dark, non-luminous stars, all operating under similar rules. Yet the stars inside vary in brightness and size, and these differences lead to the unique character and will of each person. So, as long as the core attributes of the soul are understood, duplicating the soul is not difficult, though it requires enormous energy consumption. And you are invaluable, worth all that energy consumption, even half the energy of the Moon if necessary. Once your soul is successfully duplicated, you must decree to absorb the energy of the Master Priests and Moon Priests. You must indeed become a Twelve-Star, even a Thirteen-Star Emperor-level Powerhouse, so that when I leave for the Hope Star System, you can rely on your power to suppress these foolish ones."

Then, Lord Bulo said, "Moreover, when I replicate your soul, I feel you also need to be fully involved. Because once I’m gone, there needs to be someone who can replicate souls. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lanling said, "I understand, duplicating a soul implies immortality."

Lord Bulo said, "And the Lord of Yao Xing, the emperor of our entire civilization, must be immortal!"

Lanling asked, "Were you immortal once before?"

"Yes, my Majesty," Lord Bulo said, "But when I left the Dragon Demon Planet and gave up this identity, it meant I forfeited the qualification for immortality."

Then, Lord Bulo said, "My Majesty, I have one more request."

Lanling said, "Please speak."

Lord Bulo said, "Thirteen Master Priests and one hundred thirty-nine Moon Priests. While they are indeed foolish, they are ultimately your core assistants, for they possess the Void Bloodline. So, I plead with you to forgive their folly and hope you will wed the second Master Priest, Qingxuan, making her your consort in the Moon Empire."

...

Note: Here’s the first update, praying for support, praying for votes, thank you all!