Chapter 002: Overbearing Action

"Blake, do you think that woman, Monica Lyson, will obediently bring the money?" Inside the warehouse, six or seven burly men were drinking and chatting.
The young man called Blake had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a hand of cards. Hearing the question from the man beside him, he sneered.
"It'd be best if she brings the money willingly. If not, we'll make her precious daughter vanish from this world. Anyway, the other side has already paid us. No matter how this ends, we're making a profit."
"Have you arranged those guys as I asked?" Blake turned to the burly man sitting on his right and asked.
"Don't worry, Blake. Four men, all skilled with crossbows. We've got four specially modified military-grade crossbows. Within twenty meters, they'll guarantee a kill with one shot," the burly man said, glancing up toward the top of the warehouse with a sly grin.
"Remember, we've been instructed to only kill the woman accompanying Monica Lyson. Monica herself must not be harmed," Blake said in a low voice.
Bang!
A loud noise interrupted their conversation.
Following the sound, they saw that the tightly closed iron door had been violently blasted off its frame, landing several meters away from the entrance.
Standing outside the now open door was a sturdy figure who slowly stepped inside.
After a moment of stunned silence, Blake was the first to react. He kicked over the table in front of him and stood up. The others also got up, grabbing nearby weapons.
Sizing up the young man who had walked in alone, Blake looked him up and down but didn't see anything unusual—just an ordinary person.
"Kid, did you get lost?" Blake tilted his head, eyeing the young man who had stopped a few meters away, speaking in a sinister tone.
Ethan Thubron stood there, his gaze sweeping over the group of men. Then he looked up, glancing around the upper part of the warehouse before letting out a disdainful snort.
They were nothing more than ordinary mortals without any cultivation. In his travels across the cosmos, he wouldn't have even spared a glance at such beings.
Seeing the disdain on Ethan's face, Blake's pupils narrowed, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He gave a subtle signal to the man beside him, who understood immediately and nodded slightly.
The burly man gripped the iron rod in his hand, took two swift steps forward, and swung it fiercely toward Ethan's head.
The attack was sudden; an ordinary person wouldn't have had time to react.
Seeing the iron rod about to strike Ethan's head, Blake's lips curled into a cold smile as he stood where he was, his face showing a cruel grin.
However, his smile lasted only a moment before it froze.
In his line of sight, the descending iron rod suddenly stopped. Looking closely, he saw a hand gripping the rod.
Bang!
Another dull thud sounded. The burly man holding the rod was lifted off the ground, flying several meters before crashing heavily into the wall behind. When he landed, he was already unconscious.
The entire process happened so quickly that none of them, including Blake, had time to react.
The warehouse fell deathly silent.
"Get him!" Blake wasn't an ordinary person; he quickly snapped out of his shock and shouted loudly.
From the iron beams above the warehouse, four men emerged, each holding a military-grade crossbow already loaded with arrows.
Ethan didn't even bother to look up. He flicked his fingers several times upward, sending four pebbles shooting out.
Immediately, four muffled groans echoed in the warehouse. The four archers who had just appeared fell from above, crashing heavily onto the floor, motionless.
Blake and his men stood there, stunned by the scene before them.
Even though Blake had seen his share of turmoil, he'd never encountered anything like this.
This man had merely flicked his fingers, and their four hidden archers had been taken down. Could he be one of those legendary martial arts masters?
"Brother, I think there's been a misunderstanding between us," Blake said with a forced smile after swallowing hard.
Ethan glanced at Blake, his heart filled with disgust at the man's hypocritical face.
Although he had once struggled at the bottom, understanding the hardships of the common people, he always believed in one principle: a person must have dignity. Even if you lose your head, you can't lose your backbone.
Perhaps it was this inner strength that allowed him to climb step by step in that dog-eat-dog world, eventually becoming the Stellar Sovereign who suppressed the northern star regions.
"Break one arm and one leg yourselves, and you can live. Otherwise, die." An emotionless, icy voice echoed in the warehouse.
As the cold voice reached their ears, Blake and the others couldn't help but shiver. They felt as if they'd fallen into an ice cellar, the chill penetrating to their bones.
After a moment of trembling, Blake finally regained his composure. The initial smile on his face gradually disappeared, and his eyes flashed coldly as he looked at Ethan.
"Today, you won't—"
Blake intended to utter some harsh words, but before he could finish, he saw a black shadow flash before his eyes. A hand like an iron vise clamped onto his jaw, rendering him speechless.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking was particularly clear in the warehouse.
Then came several screams.
Blake and his men all collapsed to the ground, each clutching an arm or a leg, wailing in agony.
Ethan didn't spare them another glance. Stepping over them, he walked toward the little girl in the corner.
At this moment, the little girl who had been quietly wiping her tears was now calm. Her beautiful big eyes blinked as she looked at Ethan approaching.
As the Stellar Sovereign, Ethan's bloodline was immensely powerful. Even though the little girl was born when he was still a mortal and with a mortal woman, upon his return to Earth, the bloodline within her would inevitably awaken.
With the awakening of the bloodline, the father and daughter were intrinsically linked. Even though they'd never met before, they felt an innate closeness. Moreover, possessing his powerful bloodline meant that this little girl's future would be anything but ordinary.
Without a word, Ethan extended his arm. The little girl curled up in the corner watched him for a moment before obediently throwing herself into his embrace.